smattering
/ˈsmætɚɪŋ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.62 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A shallow or superficial knowledge of a subject.
Example Sentences
- "She knows a smattering of Greek, but not enough to carry on a conversation."
- "1529, Thomas More, The Supplycacyon of Soulys [The Supplication of Souls], London: W. Rastell, Book 2, […] he had a lytell smatterynge in the lawe: […]"
- "If any object against a Learned Education, that it will make Women vain and assuming, and instead of correcting, encrease their Pride: I grant, that a smattering in Learning may; for it has this effect on the Men, none so Dogmatical, and so forward to shew their Parts as your little Pretenders to Science."
- "There were several of his Priests and Lawyers present, (as I conjectured by their habits) who were commanded to address themselves to me, and I spoke to them in as many Languages as I had the least smattering of, which were High and Low Dutch, Latin, French, Spanish, Italian, and Lingua Franca; but all to no purpose."
- "It's easy enough to be a beak when you're young and athletic, and can offer the latest University smattering. The difficulty is to keep your place when you get old and stiff, and younger smatterers are pushing up behind you."
- "Tarzan, who, by this time, with the assistance of Abdul, had picked up quite a smattering of Arab, questioned one of the younger men who had accompanied the sheik while the latter paid his respects to Captain Gerard."
Etymology
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈsmætɚɪŋ/
- British English: /ˈsmæ.təɹ.ɪŋ/