expert

Inherited from Middle English expert, derived from Old French expert (“experienced”), espert, from Latin expertus (contracted from *experitus), perfect active participle of experior (“to try”), from ex- +‎ *-perior.^[1]

• enPR: (n. and adj.) ĕk′spûrt, (adj.) ĭk-spûrt′^[1]
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): (n. and adj.) /ˈɛk.spɜːt/, (adj.) /ɪkˈspɜːt/
• (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): (n. and adj.) /ˈɛk.spɜɹt/, (adj.) /ɪkˈspɜɹt/

  Audio (California):

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• (Australia) IPA^(key): (n. and adj.) /ˈek.spɜːt/, (adj.) /ɪkˈspɜːt/
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): (n. and adj.) /ˈek.spøːt/, (adj.) /əkˈspøːt/
• (Scotland) IPA^(key): (n. and adj.) /ˈɛk.spɛɹt/, (adj.) /ɪkˈspɛɹt/
• Rhymes: -ɛkspɜː(ɹ)t, -ɜː(ɹ)t
• Hyphenation: ex‧pert^[1]

expert (comparative more expert, superlative most expert)

1. Extraordinary capable or knowledgeable.

   I am expert at making a simple situation complex.

   My cousin is an expert pianist.

2. Characteristic of an expert.

   This problem requires expert knowledge.

3. (obsolete) Proven, experienced, veteran.

• proficient; see also Thesaurus:skillful

• inexpert
• nonexpert

expert (plural experts)

1. A person with extensive knowledge or ability in a given subject.

   If an expert says it can't be done, get another expert. - David Ben-Gurion

   We called in several experts on the subject, but they couldn't reach an agreement.

   • 2013 July 20, “Welcome to the plastisphere”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:

     Plastics are energy-rich substances, which is why many of them burn so readily. Any organism that could unlock and use that energy would do well in the Anthropocene. Terrestrial bacteria and fungi which can manage this trick are already familiar to experts in the field.

   • 2016, Neil Cicierega, “Touch-Tone Telephone”, in Spirit Phone, performed by Lemon Demon:

     I'm an expert in my field
     Ufology, yes, it's all real
     Ancient aliens, it's all true
     I'm an expert just like you

2. (chess) A player ranking just below master.

• maven
• specialist
• demon (informal)

• connoisseur

• initiate (anyone initiated, anywhere from basic familiarity to expertise)

expert (third-person singular simple present experts, present participle experting, simple past and past participle experted)

1. (transitive) To have (something) reviewed or checked by an expert.
   • 1896, California. State Dept, “Biennial Report”, in Education, page 52:

     Estimated cost of editorial work on Advanced History […] Estimated cost of experting the Advanced History […]

   • 1899, Journals of the Legislature of the State of California, California: Legislature, page 470:

     The bill in question was one proposing to appropriate from the public moneys of this State $30,000 to pay an accountant for experting the books of the Southern Pacific Company, in furtherance of litigation then pending.

• Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “expert”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
• “expert”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

• Raymond Williams (1983), “Expert”, in Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and Society, revised American edition, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, published 1985, →ISBN, page 129.
• “expert”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

• pretex, xerept

• IPA^(key): (Northern) [əksˈpe̞rt]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Central) [əksˈpɛrt]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [eksˈpɛɾt]
• IPA^(key): (Northwestern) [eksˈpɛrt]

• Audio (Barcelona):

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expert (feminine experta, masculine plural experts, feminine plural expertes)

1. expert

   Antonym: inexpert

• expertesa

expert m (plural experts, feminine experta, feminine plural expertes)

1. expert

   Synonym: perit

• “expert”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

• IPA^(key): [ˈɛkspɛrt]

• Audio:

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expert m anim (female equivalent expertka)

1. expert (person with extensive knowledge or ability in a given subject)

   Synonyms: odborník, znalec

• “expert”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “expert”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989

From Middle Dutch expert, from Middle French expert, from Old French expert, from Latin expertus.

• IPA^(key): (chiefly Netherlands) /ɛkˈspɛːr/, (chiefly Belgium) /ɛkˈspɛrt/

• Audio:

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• Hyphenation: ex‧pert
• Rhymes: -ɛːr, -ɛrt

expert m (plural experts or experten, diminutive expertje n)

1. expert

When expert is pronounced with a silent t (common in Netherlandic Dutch), the plural is experts. When the t is pronounced (common in Belgian Dutch), the plural is experten.

• deskundige

• expertise

• Afrikaans: ekspert
• → Indonesian: eksper
• → West Frisian: ekspert

From Latin expertus.

• IPA^(key): /ɛk.spɛʁ/

• Audio:

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• Audio (France (Vosges)):

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• Audio (France (Somain)):

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• Rhymes: -ɛʁ
• Hyphenation: ex‧pert

expert (feminine experte, masculine plural experts, feminine plural expertes)

1. expert

   Il est expert en matière de finances. ― He's an expert in finances.

   Il est expert dans les sciences humaines et sociales.

   He's an expert in the humanities and social sciences.

• expertement
• expertise

• inexpert

expert m (plural experts, feminine experte)

1. expert

• → Turkish: eksper
  • → Laz: ექისფერი (ekisperi), ეჩისპერი (eçisp̌eri) — Atina, ექისპერი (ekisp̌eri) — Firtina Valley

• “expert”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Borrowed from French expert.

• IPA^(key): [ɛksˈpɛʁt]
• Hyphenation: ex‧pert

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

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expert (strong nominative masculine singular experter, not comparable)

1. expert

• “expert” in Duden online
• “expert”, in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache‎^[1] (in German)

Unadapted borrowing from English expert. Doublet of esperto and experto.

• Audio (Central-West Brazil):

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expert m or f by sense (plural experts)

1. expert (person with extensive knowledge or ability in a given field)

   Synonyms: especialista, perito, experto

• expertise

• “expert”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “expert”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

• експерт (expert) — post-1930s Cyrillic spelling

Borrowed from French expert, from Latin expertus.

• IPA^(key): /eksˈpert/

• Rhymes: -ert
• Hyphenation: ex‧pert

expert m (plural experți, feminine equivalent expertă)

1. expert (person with extensive knowledge or ability in a given field)

   Synonym: specialist

2. (computing) wizard (program or script used to simplify complex operations)

   Synonym: asistent

• “expert”, in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language) (in Romanian), 2004–2026

• Audio:

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expert c

1. expert

• expertis

• kännare
• sakkunnig

• “expert”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)