Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'academic' holds great significance in our lives, often associated with rigorous study, research, and the pursuit of knowledge. Its origins trace back to the ancient Greek Academy, founded by Plato, where philosophy and science were taught. This word's cultural importance is undeniable, shaping our educational systems and driving intellectual curiosity.
Moreover, understanding the translation of 'academic' in different languages can open up a world of cultural exchange and learning. For instance, in Spanish, it's 'académico'; in German, 'akademisch'; in French, 'académique'; in Russian, 'академический' (akademicheskiy); and in Japanese, '学術' (gakumu).
Did you know that the term 'academic' was also used to describe the gardens that Plato's Academy was built around, symbolizing the interconnectedness of nature and knowledge? Or that in the Middle Ages, universities were often called 'academes'?
Explore the world of academia through language and discover how this term is translated across various cultures!
Afrikaans | akademies | ||
The Afrikaans word "akademies" is derived from the Latin word "academia", which means "a place of learning". | |||
Amharic | ትምህርታዊ | ||
ትምህርታዊ is also used to mean teaching or instructive, with the related verb ትምህረ (tamhare) meaning to teach. | |||
Hausa | ilimi | ||
The word 'ilimi' in Hausa can also refer to 'knowledge' or 'education', highlighting its broader connection to academic pursuits. | |||
Igbo | agụmakwụkwọ | ||
"Agụmakwụkwọ" is also used to refer to people who are knowledgeable or well-educated, regardless of their field of study. | |||
Malagasy | akademika | ||
The Malagasy word "akademika" is derived from the French word "académique", which in turn comes from the Greek word "akademē", meaning "Academy". | |||
Nyanja (Chichewa) | maphunziro | ||
The word "maphunziro" in Nyanja can also refer to "education" or "schooling". | |||
Shona | zvedzidzo | ||
The word "zvedzidzo" in Shona is derived from the root "-vedza" meaning "knowledge", and carries the connotations of "intelligence" and "scholarship" in addition to its primary meaning of "academic" | |||
Somali | tacliimeed | ||
The word "tacliimeed" in Somali is derived from the Arabic word "ta'leem", meaning "instruction" or "knowledge". | |||
Sesotho | thuto | ||
The word "thuto" is etymologically related to the word "thuteho", meaning "education." | |||
Swahili | kielimu | ||
The word "kielimu" derives from the Arabic word "ilm," meaning "knowledge". | |||
Xhosa | kwezemfundo | ||
The word “kwezemfundo” in Xhosa means “academic” or “scholarly” but can also refer to someone who is knowledgeable, learned or highly educated. | |||
Yoruba | omowe | ||
The word "omowe" in Yoruba can also refer to a student or a child attending school. | |||
Zulu | kwezemfundo | ||
The Zulu word 'kwezemfundo' can also refer to a person who has knowledge or wisdom. | |||
Bambara | kalanko siratigɛ la | ||
Ewe | agbalẽsɔsrɔ̃ | ||
Kinyarwanda | amasomo | ||
Lingala | ya kelasi | ||
Luganda | eby’ensoma | ||
Sepedi | thuto ya thuto | ||
Twi (Akan) | adesua mu | ||
Arabic | أكاديمي | ||
The word "أكاديمي" (academic) in Arabic is also used to refer to a member of an academy or a learned society. | |||
Hebrew | אקדמי | ||
The word "אקדמי" (academic) in Hebrew can also mean "professional". | |||
Pashto | علمي | ||
The word "علمي" ("academic") in Pashto can also mean "scientific"} | |||
Arabic | أكاديمي | ||
The word "أكاديمي" (academic) in Arabic is also used to refer to a member of an academy or a learned society. |
Albanian | akademik | ||
The word "akademik" in Albanian is derived from the Greek word "akademaikos", which refers to Plato's Academy, his philosophical school in Athens. | |||
Basque | akademikoa | ||
The term 'akademikoa' may also refer to a member of a Royal Academy of Fine Arts or Sciences, particularly in Spain. | |||
Catalan | acadèmic | ||
The Catalan word "acadèmic" derives from the Greek "akademós", meaning a philosophical school or higher-learning institution. | |||
Croatian | akademski | ||
The word "akademski" in Croatian derives from the Greek "akademikos," meaning "of or relating to the Academy," which was the name of Plato's school in Athens. | |||
Danish | akademisk | ||
The Danish word "akademisk" can also refer to someone who is pedantic or overly theoretical in their approach to practical matters. | |||
Dutch | academisch | ||
Het woord "academisch" komt van het Latijnse woord "academia", dat oorspronkelijk een Griekse filosofische school aanduidde opgericht door Plato. | |||
English | academic | ||
"Academic" ultimately derives from the Greek "akádemia," the name for the park outside of ancient Athens where Plato taught. | |||
French | académique | ||
Academic derives from the Greek akadēmeia, the school founded by Plato and named after Akademus, the legendary Greek hero. | |||
Frisian | akademysk | ||
The Frisian word "akademysk" is derived from the Greek word "akademia", which originally meant "the grove of Academos" where Plato's students met. | |||
Galician | académico | ||
German | akademisch | ||
In German, "akademisch" can also refer to a person with an academic degree or to a theoretical or scholarly approach. | |||
Icelandic | akademískur | ||
"Akademískur" is derived from Greek "akademaikos" meaning of or relating to Academia, Plato's school outside Athens. | |||
Irish | acadúil | ||
In Irish, the word acadúil also refers to a 'session of instruction in a monastic setting'. | |||
Italian | accademico | ||
The Italian word "accademico" derives from the Late Latin "academicus," which means "belonging to the Academy," referring to Plato's Academy in Athens. | |||
Luxembourgish | akademesch | ||
In Luxembourgish, "akademesch" not only means "academic", but also "intellectual", "learned", or "scholastic". | |||
Maltese | akkademiku | ||
The word "akkademiku" can also mean "teacher" or "professor". | |||
Norwegian | akademisk | ||
In addition to its primary meaning of "academic", the Norwegian word "akademisk" has a secondary meaning of "pretentious or overly intellectualized". | |||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | acadêmico | ||
In Portuguese, the word "acadêmico" can also refer to a member of an academy or to a scholarly work. | |||
Scots Gaelic | acadaimigeach | ||
Although 'acadaimigeach' typically means 'academic' in Standard Scots Gaelic, it can also mean a member of 'Academia Europaea'. | |||
Spanish | académico | ||
The term "académico" relates to higher education institutions and scholarship in Spanish, while in English "academic" has a broader sense, including non-higher education contexts. | |||
Swedish | akademisk | ||
The word 'akademisk' in Swedish can also refer to a type of tobacco, specifically a finely cut, dry tobacco used in snuff or chewing tobacco. | |||
Welsh | academaidd | ||
"Academaidd" is derived from Latin "academia" meaning "Academy of Plato" and "acos" meaning "shade". |
Belarusian | акадэмічны | ||
Bosnian | akademski | ||
The word "akademski" in Bosnian can also refer to a type of traditional Bosnian folk song. | |||
Bulgarian | академичен | ||
The word “академичен” (“academic”) in Bulgarian comes from the Greek word “ακαδημία” (“academy”), which in turn comes from the name of the ancient Athenian philosopher Plato's school, which was located in a grove sacred to the hero Academus. | |||
Czech | akademický | ||
The word "akademický" can also mean "scholarly" or "university-related". | |||
Estonian | akadeemiline | ||
"Akadeemiline" is also an Estonian word for a professor or lecturer. | |||
Finnish | akateeminen | ||
Etymology of akateeminen: Greek akademos “academy,” from Akádēmos, the legendary Athenian hero after whom Plato named his school. | |||
Hungarian | akadémiai | ||
The word 'akadémiai' in Hungarian derives from the place name 'Akadémia', referring to Plato's school of philosophy in ancient Athens. | |||
Latvian | akadēmiskais | ||
'Akadēmiskais' in Latvian shares its root with the Greek word 'akademeia', where Plato founded his school. | |||
Lithuanian | akademinis | ||
In Lithuanian, "akademinis" also has the connotation of 'scientific' and is used in the context of scholarly research. | |||
Macedonian | академски | ||
The word "академски" in Macedonian can also refer to something that is formal or official, such as a "академски тон" (formal tone). | |||
Polish | akademicki | ||
The word "akademicki" can also mean "university-related" or "scholarly" in Polish. | |||
Romanian | academic | ||
In Romanian, "academic" can denote someone involved in education or scholarship, or a member of an academy (of sciences), often with a secondary meaning of "honorary scholar". | |||
Russian | академический | ||
In Russian, "академический" can also mean "of or relating to a learned society or institution (such as an academy)" | |||
Serbian | академске | ||
"Академске" can also refer to academic titles or ranks, or to academic institutions. | |||
Slovak | akademický | ||
The word "akademický" is derived from the Greek word "akademía", which originally referred to a sacred olive grove and shrine dedicated to the Goddess Athena in Athens. | |||
Slovenian | akademski | ||
The word 'akademski' in Slovenian can also refer to an educational institution of higher learning. | |||
Ukrainian | академічний | ||
Академічний in Ukrainian also means "scholarly" or "scientific. |
Bengali | একাডেমিক | ||
একাডেমিক শব্দটি গ্রীক 'Ακαδήμεια' থেকে এসেছে, যা এথেন্সের কাছে প্লেটো প্রতিষ্ঠিত দার্শনিক একাডেমির নাম থেকে নেওয়া হয়েছে। | |||
Gujarati | શૈક્ષણિક | ||
The word 'શૈક્ષણિક' can also refer to something related to a school or education institution. | |||
Hindi | शैक्षिक | ||
The word "शैक्षिक" is derived from the Sanskrit word "शिक्षा" meaning "education". | |||
Kannada | ಶೈಕ್ಷಣಿಕ | ||
ಶೈಕ್ಷಣಿಕ is the Kannada equivalent of the English word 'academic'; however, it can mean "intellectual" or "studious" as well. | |||
Malayalam | അക്കാദമിക് | ||
അക്കാദമിക് is derived from the Greek word 'akademeia', referring to Plato's school in Athens. | |||
Marathi | शैक्षणिक | ||
शैक्षणिक (shaikshanik) in Marathi comes from the word shiksha, which means 'learning', and is related to the word shikshit, meaning 'learned' or 'educated'. It can also have the secondary meaning of 'scholarly' or 'theoretical'. | |||
Nepali | शैक्षिक | ||
The term "शैक्षिक" originates from the Sanskrit word "शिक्षा" (śikṣā), meaning "instruction or education". | |||
Punjabi | ਵਿਦਿਅਕ | ||
The word ਵਿਦਿਅਕ is derived from the Sanskrit words 'विद्या' (vidyā) meaning 'knowledge' and 'अक' (aka) meaning 'pertaining to', and originally referred to a person who was well-versed in the Vedas. | |||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ශාස්ත්රීය | ||
Tamil | கல்வி | ||
"கல்வி" (academic) derives from the root "கல்" (stone), referring to the ancient practice of etching letters onto stone tablets for education. | |||
Telugu | విద్యా | ||
The word 'విద్యా' is derived from the Sanskrit word 'vidya', which means 'knowledge' or 'learning'. | |||
Urdu | تعلیمی | ||
The word "تعلیمی" (academic) is derived from the Arabic word "علم" (knowledge), and also means "informative" or "instructive". |
Chinese (Simplified) | 学术的 | ||
"学术"本指古代的教育制度--小学,大学,士学。后借代为学业,学术,指有关学术的研究或活动。 | |||
Chinese (Traditional) | 學術的 | ||
「學術的」可溯源於儒家思想中的「學術」,強調的是對經書知識的傳承與研究。 | |||
Japanese | アカデミック | ||
「アカデミック」は、元々はギリシャ語で「アカデメイア」というプラトンの学園に由来し、学問や研究に関連する概念を指していた。 | |||
Korean | 학생 | ||
"학생" could also mean "disciple" or "pupil". | |||
Mongolian | академик | ||
The Mongolian word "академик" can also mean "professor" or "teacher". | |||
Myanmar (Burmese) | ပညာရေး | ||
Indonesian | akademik | ||
In Indonesian, "akademik" can also mean "scholastic" or "educational." | |||
Javanese | akademik | ||
The Javanese word "akademik" can also refer to a traditional Javanese dance performance. | |||
Khmer | សិក្សា | ||
The word "សិក្សា" is also used to refer to teaching, learning or scholarship. | |||
Lao | ທາງວິຊາການ | ||
Malay | akademik | ||
The Indonesian word "akademik" can also refer to a member of an academy, such as the Indonesian Academy of Sciences (AIPI). | |||
Thai | วิชาการ | ||
"วิชาการ" (academic) in Thai also means "knowledge" or "science". | |||
Vietnamese | thuộc về lý thuyết | ||
The original meaning of the word "thuộc về lý thuyết" is "to belong to the theory" as a noun. | |||
Filipino (Tagalog) | akademiko | ||
Azerbaijani | akademik | ||
The word "akademik" can also refer to a member of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences. | |||
Kazakh | академиялық | ||
The word "академиялық" comes from Greek and literally means "pertaining to Plato's Academy." | |||
Kyrgyz | академиялык | ||
The Kyrgyz word "академиялык" can also mean "of or pertaining to an academy." | |||
Tajik | академик | ||
In Tajik, "академик" does not only mean "academic" but also denotes an official title of a senior researcher at the Academy of Sciences. | |||
Turkmen | akademiki | ||
Uzbek | akademik | ||
Akademik in Uzbek can also mean 'intellectual' | |||
Uyghur | ئاكادېمىك | ||
Hawaiian | kālaiʻike | ||
The word "kālaiʻike" derives from the Hawaiian words "kālai" (to carve, engrave) and "ʻike" (knowledge), indicating the process of etching knowledge onto one's mind. | |||
Maori | matauranga | ||
The Māori word "matauranga" can also refer to traditional knowledge passed down through generations. | |||
Samoan | aʻoaʻoga | ||
The word "aʻoaʻoga" can also mean "customs" or "culture" in Samoan. | |||
Tagalog (Filipino) | pang-akademiko | ||
The word "pang-akademiko" can also mean "pertaining to scholarship". |
Aymara | académico ukat juk’ampinaka | ||
Guarani | académico rehegua | ||
Esperanto | akademia | ||
"Akademio", besides its most common meanings of "academy" and "university", can also refer to "institute", "school" and "the scholars". | |||
Latin | academic | ||
The Latin word "academia" derives from the name of Plato's school in Athens, "The Academy". |
Greek | ακαδημαϊκός | ||
The word "ακαδημαϊκός" also means "philosopher" or "scholar" in Greek. | |||
Hmong | kev kawm | ||
The word "kev kawm" derives from the Chinese word "科举" (kējǔ), which refers to the imperial examination system used in imperial China. | |||
Kurdish | danişgayî | ||
"Danişgayî" is the Kurdish word for "scholar" and also refers to a "madrasa", a school where Islamic theology is taught. | |||
Turkish | akademik | ||
The word "akademik" in Turkish can also refer to a type of olive tree. | |||
Xhosa | kwezemfundo | ||
The word “kwezemfundo” in Xhosa means “academic” or “scholarly” but can also refer to someone who is knowledgeable, learned or highly educated. | |||
Yiddish | אַקאַדעמיק | ||
אַקאַדעמיק (academic) is not used in daily Yiddish but can be found in academic and official texts. | |||
Zulu | kwezemfundo | ||
The Zulu word 'kwezemfundo' can also refer to a person who has knowledge or wisdom. | |||
Assamese | শৈক্ষিক | ||
Aymara | académico ukat juk’ampinaka | ||
Bhojpuri | अकादमिक के बा | ||
Dhivehi | އެކަޑަމިކް | ||
Dogri | शैक्षणिक ऐ | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) | akademiko | ||
Guarani | académico rehegua | ||
Ilocano | akademiko nga | ||
Krio | akademik tin dɛn | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) | ئەکادیمی | ||
Maithili | शैक्षणिक | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯑꯦꯀꯥꯗꯦꯃꯤꯛ ꯑꯣꯏꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
Mizo | zirna lamah pawh | ||
Oromo | kan barnootaa | ||
Odia (Oriya) | ଏକାଡେମିକ୍ | | ||
Quechua | académico nisqamanta | ||
Sanskrit | शैक्षणिक | ||
Tatar | академик | ||
Tigrinya | ኣካዳሚያዊ ምዃኑ’ዩ። | ||
Tsonga | swa dyondzo | ||