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Definition 2024
paideia
paideia
English
Noun
paideia (uncountable)
- (Ancient Greece, historical, education) an Athenian system of education designed to give students a broad cultural background focusing integration into the public life of the city-state with subject matter including gymnastics, grammar, rhetoric, music, mathematics, geography, natural history, and philosophy
- (Ancient Greece, historical, education) the epitome of physical and intellectual achievement to which an Ancient Greek citizen could aspire; societal and cultural perfection
- (Early Christianity, historical, education) an early model of Christian higher learning which placed theology as its chief subject
- (US, education, frequently attributive) a pedagogical system focusing on providing children with a broad and balanced education
Synonyms
- (model of Christian higher learning): humanitas
References
- “paideia, n.”, in OED Online, Oxford: Oxford University Press, January 2015.
- “paideia” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, v1.0.1, Lexico Publishing Group, 2006.