omniscient

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 9, 2008 is: omniscient • \ahm-NISH-unt\ • adjective 1 : having infinite awareness, understanding, and insight 2 : possessed of universal or complete knowledge Examples: While many students expect their professors to be omniscient, Anton was glad that Dr. Hawkins was honest about the things she did not know. Did you know? One who is "omniscient" literally "knows all." The word, which has been part of English since at least the beginning of the 17th century, brings together two Latin roots: the prefix "omni-," meaning "all," and the verb "scire," meaning "to know." You will recognize "omni-" as the prefix that tells all in such words as "omnivorous" ("eating all," or, more precisely, "eating both meat and vegetables") and "omnipotent" ("all-powerful"). "Scire" likewise has a number of other knowledge-related descendants in English, including "conscience," "science," and "prescience" (meaning "foreknowledge"). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.