adept

English

Etymology

From French adepte, from Latin adeptus (“who has achieved”), the past participle of adipisci (“to attain”).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US, adjective) IPA^(key): /əˈdɛpt/, /ˈæd.ɛpt/
• (UK, US, noun) IPA^(key): /ˈæd.ɛpt/, /ædˈɛpt/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛpt

Adjective

adept (comparative more adept or adepter, superlative most adept or adeptest)

1. Well skilled; completely versed; thoroughly proficient
   • 1838, Boz [pseudonym; Charles Dickens], Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy’s Progress. […], volume (please specify |volume=I, II, or III), London: Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC:

     Adept as she was, in all the arts of cunning and dissimulation, the girl Nancy could not wholly conceal the effect which the knowledge of the step she had taken, wrought upon her mind.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:skillful

Antonyms

• inept

Derived terms

• adeptist
• adeptly
• adeptness
• adeptship
• inadept
• unadept

 

Translations

well skilled

• Bulgarian: умел (bg) (umel), вещ (bg) (vešt), опитен (bg) (opiten), кадъ́рен (bg) (kadǎ́ren)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 擅長／擅长 (zh) (shàncháng), 熟練／熟练 (zh) (shúliàn)

• Czech: znalý, schopný (cs), kvalifikovaný (cs)
• Dutch: bekwaam (nl)
• Finnish: pätevä (fi), asiantunteva
• French: expert (fr)
• German: geschickt (de), fähig (de), geübt (de), befähigt (de), erfahren (de), versiert (de), bewandert (de), eingeweiht (de), kundig (de), gewandt (de)
• Hindi: प्रवीण (hi) (pravīṇ)
• Hungarian: szakértő (hu)
• Maori: kaiaka
• Polish: biegły (pl)
• Portuguese: adepto (pt)
• Russian: зна́ющий (ru) (znájuščij), све́дущий (ru) (svéduščij), о́пытный (ru) (ópytnyj), уме́лый (ru) (umélyj)
• Spanish: experto (es), hábil (es)
• Swedish: skicklig (sv)
• Turkish: becerikli (tr), mahir (tr), usta (tr), ehil (tr)

Noun

adept (plural adepts)

1. One fully skilled or well versed in anything; a proficient

   adepts in philosophy

   • 1841, Charles Dickens, Barnaby Rudge:

     When he had achieved this task, he applied himself to the acquisition of stable language, in which he soon became such an adept, that he would perch outside my window and drive imaginary horses with great skill, all day.

   • 1894-95, Thomas Hardy, Jude the Obscure:

     Others, alas, had an instinct towards artificiality in their very blood, and became adepts in counterfeiting at the first glimpse of it.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:skilled person

Translations

one fully skilled or well versed in anything

• Bulgarian: специалист (bg) (specialist), познавач (bg) (poznavač)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 熟練的人／熟练的人 (shúliàn de ren), 專家／专家 (zh) (zhuānjiā)

• Czech: expert (cs) m, mistr (cs) m
• Dutch: expert (nl) m, deskundige (nl) m or f
• Esperanto: adepto (eo)
• Finnish: asiantuntija (fi)
• French: expert (fr) m
• German: Meister (de) m
• Hindi: प्रवीण (hi) m (pravīṇ)
• Hungarian: szakértő (hu), mestere valaminek
• Latin: adeptus m, adepta f
• Maori: tautōhito
• Norwegian: adept m
• Polish: ekspert (pl) m, ekspertka (pl) f, mistrz (pl) m, mistrzyni (pl) f
• Portuguese: adepto (pt) m
• Russian: знато́к (ru) m (znatók), экспе́рт (ru) m (ekspért), специали́ст (ru) m (specialíst), специали́стка (ru) f (specialístka), ма́стер (ru) m (máster)
• Spanish: experto (es) m, experta (es) f

Related terms

• apt
• aptitude

 

References

• “adept”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• taped, pated, PTAed

Kashubian

Alternative forms

• adepta

Etymology

Borrowed from Polish adept.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa.dɛpt/
• Rhymes: -adɛpt
• Syllabification: a‧dept

Noun

adept m pers (female equivalent adeptka)

2. apprentice, trainee; novice (person training in a given field or new in a given field)

   Synonyms: pòczãtnik, debiutant, (archaic) swiéżi

3. follower, supporter (supporter of a doctrine or philosophical school)

   Synonym: przëstojnik

Further reading

• Jan Trepczyk (1994) “adept”, in Słownik polsko-kaszubski (in Kashubian), volumes 1–2
• Eùgeniusz Gòłąbk (2011) “adept”, in Słownik Polsko-Kaszubski / Słowôrz Pòlskò-Kaszëbsczi‎^[1]
• “adept”, in Internetowi Słowôrz Kaszëbsczégò Jãzëka [Internet Dictionary of the Kashubian Language], Fundacja Kaszuby, 2022

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin adeptus (“who has achieved”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑˈdɛpt/
• Rhymes: -ɛpt

Noun

adept m (definite singular adepten, indefinite plural adepter, definite plural adeptene)

1. an adept (person)

References

• “adept” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “adept” in The Ordnett Dictionary

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin adeptus (“who has achieved”). The adjective is of the same origin, though likely through English adept.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑˈdɛpt/

Noun

adept m (definite singular adepten, indefinite plural adeptar, definite plural adeptane)

1. an adept, skillful person
2. an inductee to an order, a secret society or a science
3. (historical) an alchemist
4. a very knowledgeable person
5. (by extension, derogatory) a know-it-all, a self-declared expert
6. a student of a craft

Adjective

adept (indefinite singular adept, definite singular and plural adepte)

1. adept (very skilled)

References

• “adept” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Polish

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin adeptus. Sense 1 and sense 2 are semantic loans from German Adept and French adepte. First attested in the 18th century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa.dɛpt/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -adɛpt
• Syllabification: a‧dept

Noun

adept m pers (female equivalent adeptka)

2. apprentice, trainee; novice (person training in a given field or new in a given field)

   Synonyms: debiutant, początkujący

4. adept (person with secret information)
5. (oboslete) alchemist

   Synonym: alchemik

Declension

Declension of adept

	singular	plural
nominative	adept	adepci/adepty (deprecative)
genitive	adepta	adeptów
dative	adeptowi	adeptom
accusative	adepta	adeptów
instrumental	adeptem	adeptami
locative	adepcie	adeptach
vocative	adepcie	adepci

Collocations

apprentice

• adept jakiejś sztuki ― apprentice of some art
• adept jakieś nauki ― apprentice of some study/science
• adept jakiejś sportu ― apprentice of some sport
• adept jakiegoś zawodu ― apprentice of some profession
• adept pięściarstwa ― pugilism apprentice
• adept fryzjerstwa ― hairdressing apprentice
• adept żeglarstwa ― sailing apprentice
• adept dziennikarstwa ― journalism apprentice
• adept futbolu/piłki nożnej ― football/soccer apprentice
• adept kolarstwa ― cycling apprentice
• adept tenisa ― tenis apprentice
• adept pióra ― apprentice of the pen
• adept pływania ― swimming apprentice
• adept jogi ― yoga apprentice
• adept medycyny ― medicine apprentice
• adept koszykówki ― basketball apprentice
• adept literatury ― literature apprentice
• adept malarstwa ― painting apprentice
• adept tańca ― dancing apprentice
• adept jazdy ― driving apprentice
• adept szkoły ― apprentice of a school
• adept studiów ― apprentice of university
• adept gry na jakimś instrumencie ― apprentice learning to play some instrument
• szkolenie adeptów ― training for apprentices

adept

• adept alchemii ― alchemy adept
• adept czarnej magii ― black magic adept
• adept wiedzy tajemnej ― adept of secret knowledge
• adept sekty ― adept of a sect
• adept zapasów ― supply adept
• adept życia ― adept of life

Further reading

• adept in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• adept in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• Aleksander Zdanowicz (1861) “adept”, in Słownik języka polskiego, Wilno 1861
• J. Karłowicz, A. Kryński, W. Niedźwiedzki, editors (1900), “adept”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), volume 1, Warsaw, page 7

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French adepte.

Noun

adept m (plural adepți)

1. follower
2. disciple

Declension

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	adept	adeptul		adepți	adepții
genitive-dative	adept	adeptului		adepți	adepților
vocative	adeptule			adepților

Swedish

Noun

adept c

1. a pupil, a student, an apprentice, a disciple

Declension

Declension of adept

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	adept	adepts
	definite	adepten	adeptens
plural	indefinite	adepter	adepters
	definite	adepterna	adepternas

Synonyms

• lärjunge

Anagrams

• petad