Paideia
//paɪˈdeɪ.ə// noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An Athenian system of education designed to give students a broad cultural background focusing on integration into the public life of the city-state with subject matter including gymnastics, grammar, rhetoric, music, mathematics, geography, natural history, and philosophy historical, uncountable
- 2 The epitome of physical and intellectual achievement to which an Ancient Greek citizen could aspire; societal and cultural perfection. historical, uncountable
- 3 An early model of Christian higher learning having theology as its chief subject. Early, historical, uncountable
- 4 A pedagogical system focusing on providing children with a broad and balanced education. US, uncountable
Synonyms
All synonymsEtymology
From Ancient Greek παιδείᾱ (paideíā, “rearing of a child, education”), from παιδεύω (paideúō, “rear a child”) + -ίᾱ (-íā), from παῖς (paîs, “child”).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.