know-nothing
UK[ˈnəʊˌnʌθɪŋ]US[ˈnoʊˌnʌθɪŋ]
n
A person who is ignorant or who deliberately ignores a particular subject or situation.
n
(historical) A member of a 19th-century U.S. political party, the American Party, which was anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic.
Morpheme Breakdown
know
nothing
know
to perceive, recognize, understand.
nothing
Etymology
The compound "know-nothing" is a transparent English formation from the common verb "know" and the pronoun "nothing." Its literal meaning, "one who knows nothing," was used colloquially for an ignorant person as early as the 16th century. The term gained specific historical weight in the 1850s when it was applied to members of the secretive American Party; when questioned about their activities, members were instructed to reply, "I know nothing." This political usage cemented the term in the historical lexicon, though its primary modern sense remains a derogatory label for a deliberately uninformed or obtuse individual.
Analysis
Structure: know + nothing
know: From Old English cnāwan, meaning "to perceive, recognize, understand." It is a Germanic verb root.
nothing: From Old English nān þing, literally "not a thing." It is a compound of the negative particle and the noun for "thing."
Examples
He dismissed his critics as a bunch of know-nothings who hadn't read the report.
The debate was frustrating, as she felt she was arguing with a know-nothing.
The Know-Nothing movement briefly became a major political force in the 1850s.