docto

doctō

1. dative/ablative masculine/neuter singular of doctus

Borrowed from Latin doctus, perfect passive participle of doceō (“to teach, to instruct”). Compare the inherited doublet ducho.

• IPA^(key): /ˈdoɡto/ [ˈd̪oɣ̞.t̪o]
• Rhymes: -oɡto
• Syllabification: doc‧to

docto (feminine docta, masculine plural doctos, feminine plural doctas)

1. learned, erudite

   Synonym: erudito

   • 1605, Miguel de Cervantes, “Capítulo I”, in El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha, Primera parte:

     Tuvo muchas veces competencia con el cura de su lugar —que era hombre docto, graduado en Cigüenza— sobre cuál había sido mejor caballero: Palmerín de Ingalaterra o Amadís de Gaula.

     Many an argument did he have with the curate of his village (a learned man, and a graduate of Sigüenza) as to which had been the better knight, Palmerin of England or Amadis of Gaul.

• “docto”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024