Abstract: When Montaigne titled the chapter “Du pedantisme”, he had the term “pedantry” at his disposal. A ridiculous neologism, a deliberate breach of usage, the word “pedantism” was a “saying” that had the meaning of a “doing”, according to the categories of chapter I, 25 of the Essays, in this case making fun of “pedantic knowledge”. However, the criticism of pedantry challenged the very principles of humanist education, that of Montaigne and his readers.
