Etymology : Middle English, from Old French leçon, from Late Latin lection-, lectio, from Latin, act of reading, from legere to read; more at LEGEND
Pronunciation : le-s
&n
Function : noun
Date : 13th century
1. study session; exercise, assignment given to a student; something to be studied and learned; experience which brings knowledge or wisdom; scolding, rebuke; portion from a sacred text which is read during a religious service. instruct, teach a lesson; rebuke, scold, reprove. lesson\les"son\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. lessoned (-s'nd); p. pr. & vb. n. lessoning.] to teach; to instruct. to rest the weary, and to soothe the sad, doth lesson happier men, and shame at least the bad.lesson \les"son\ (l&ebreve;s"s'n), n. [oe. lessoun, f. leçon lesson, reading, fr. l. lectio a reading, fr. legere to read, collect. see:
legend, and cf. lection.].
2. anything read or recited to a teacher by a pupil or learner; something, as a portion of a book, assigned to a pupil to be studied or learned at one time.
3. that which is learned or taught by an express effort; instruction derived from precept, experience, observation, or deduction; a precept; a doctrine; as, to take or give a lesson in drawing." a smooth and pleasing lesson." emprinteth well this lesson in your mind.
4. a portion of scripture read in divine service for instruction; as, here endeth the first lesson.
5. a severe lecture; reproof; rebuke; warning. she would give her a lesson for walking so late. p. sidney.
6. (mus.) an exercise; a composition serving an educational purpose; a study.lesson n.
7. a unit of instruction; "he took driving lessons".
8. punishment intended as a warning to others; "they decided to make an example of him" [syn: example, deterrent example , object lesson].
9. the significance of a story or event; "the moral of the story is to love thy neighbor" [syn: moral].
10. a task assigned for individual study; "he did the lesson for today".
11. Anything read or recited to a teacher by a pupil or learner; something, as a portion of a book, assigned to a pupil to be studied or learned at one time.
12. That which is learned or taught by an express effort; instruction derived from precept, experience, observation, or deduction; a precept; a doctrine; as, to take or give a lesson in drawing.
13. A portion of Scripture read in divine service for instruction; as, here endeth the first lesson.
14. A severe lecture; reproof; rebuke; warning. An exercise; a composition serving an educational purpose; a study.
15. To teach; to instruct. a task assigned for individual study; "he did the lesson for today" a unit of instruction; "he took driving lessons".
16. 1. A lesson is a fixed period of time when people are taught about a particular subject or taught how to do something. It would be his last French lesson for months Johanna took piano lessons.
17. You use lesson to refer to an experience which acts as a warning to you or an example from which you should learn. There's still one lesson to be learned from the crisis -- we all need to better understand the thinking of the other side. If you say that you are going to teach someone a lesson, you mean that you are going to punish them for something that they have done so that they do not do it again.