schoolman

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   historical: a medieval scholar or teacher, especially one associated with scholastic philosophy or theology

   The schoolman defended the doctrine by distinguishing carefully between essence and existence.

2. 2
   noun

   a scholar skilled in formal academic disputation

   As a practiced schoolman, he could argue either side of the proposition with equal precision.

From Middle English scoleman, from Old English scōlman or scōlmann ("student, scholar"), a compound of school + man. The inherited term later specialized to a learned academic disputant and, especially in historical writing, a medieval scholastic philosopher or theologian.

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