dwarf standing on the shoulders of giants

dwarf standing on the shoulders of giants

English

Etymology

Attributed to Bernard of Chartres.[1]

Pronunciation

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Noun

dwarf standing on the shoulders of giants (plural dwarfs standing on the shoulders of giants)

1. (figuratively, idiomatic) A person who discovers by building on previous discoveries.

Synonyms

• pygmy placed on the shoulders of giants

Translations

A person who discovers by building on previous discoveries.

French: es nains sur des épaules de géants German: Zwerge auf den Schultern von Riesen

Japanese: 巨人の肩の上に立つ小人 Latin: nani gigantum humeris insidentes

Further reading

• Standing on the shoulders of giants on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

References

1. John of Salisbury (1159) Metalogicon (in Latin): “Dicebat Bernardus Carnotensis nos esse quasi nanos, gigantium humeris insidentes, ut possimus plura eis et remotiora videre, non utique proprii visus acumine, aut eminentia corporis, sed quia in altum subvenimur et extollimur magnitudine gigantea. [Bernard of Chartres used to compare us to [puny] dwarfs perched on the shoulders of giants. He pointed out that we see more and farther than our predecessors, not because we have keener vision or greater height, but because we are lifted up and borne aloft on their gigantic stature.]”