Harry-soph

English

Etymology

According to a 17th century chronicler, from Latin sophister Henricianus after King Henry VIII, but remodeled to fit a fanciful Ancient Greek *ἐρίσοφος (*erísophos, “very wise indeed”), from ἐρι- (eri-) + σοφός (sophós).

Noun

Harry-soph (plural Harry-sophs)

1. (UK, slang, obsolete) A student of law or medicine at Cambridge who, being of the same standing as the students in arts in his year, is allowed to wear a full-sleeved gown when they assume their BA gowns, though he does not obtain his actual degree so soon.

References

• John Camden Hotten (1873) The Slang Dictionary
• “Harry-soph, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, September 2024.