Gownman

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who wears a gown as part of their official dress or role, particularly a member of a college or university
2. Someone who is entitled to wear academic robes, especially as a student or member of a university community
3. An individual associated with a gown-wearing institution, most commonly a scholar or student at a university or college

Etymology: Gownman is a plain compound: "gown" joined to "man". The gown, the long loose outer garment worn by clergy, scholars and professional men, gave its name to the civilian, non-clerical professions in contrast to soldiers, so a gownman was a man of the professions, typically a lawyer or scholar, as opposed to a man of arms. Its meaning is therefore tied to dress, with the garment standing in for a whole class of educated, peaceful occupations. The word is used of those who served in civil office or the law, and it survives mainly in historical writing about early modern England and Scotland, where the contrast between gownmen and swordsmen was a familiar way to describe rival power groups at court.