# lesson

Pronunciation: say "LES-uhn" /ˈlɛsn̩/

## Noun

1. A single part of a larger course of study or teaching, covering one topic or skill at a time.
   - Simple: One part of a bigger course of study, used to teach one topic at a time.
   - _Each lesson builds on the vocabulary introduced the week before._
   - _The textbook organizes the material into twenty graded lessons._
2. Something a person learns or has yet to learn, often drawn from experience.
   - Simple: A useful piece of knowledge you get from something that happens to you.
   - _The biggest lesson of that year was to ask for help sooner._
   - _Failure can teach lessons that success never reveals._
3. An experience or example that serves as a warning to avoid something or as encouragement to pursue it.
   - Simple: An event or example that warns or encourages people to act a certain way.
   - _The collapse of the old bridge became a lesson for every engineer in the region._
   - _Her quiet generosity was a lesson to colleagues who valued only ambition._
4. A learning task that a teacher assigns to a student to complete, such as homework.
   - Simple: Work that a teacher gives you to do, often at home.
   - _He left his history lesson unfinished and had to stay after class._
   - _Pupils were expected to bring their completed lessons each Monday._
5. A severe scolding or rebuke intended to correct behavior or warn against repeating a fault.
   - Simple: A strong telling-off meant to correct someone's behavior.
   - _The sergeant delivered a blistering lesson to the recruits who broke ranks._
   - _After the broken window, he received a lesson he would not soon forget._
6. A passage from the Bible or another sacred text read aloud as part of a religious service.
   - Simple: A part of the Bible or another holy book read aloud during a church service.
   - _The first lesson at Evensong was taken from the Book of Job._
   - _Each service includes two lessons drawn from scripture._
8. A musical exercise or short composition written to develop a particular skill or technique.
   - Simple: A short piece of music written to help a student practice a skill.
   - _The student worked through a lesson aimed at improving her phrasing._
   - _Each lesson in the book focuses on a different bowing technique._

## Verb

7. To teach a person or give them instruction in something.
   - Simple: To teach someone, or give them something to learn.
   - _Experienced sailors would lesson the new hands before each voyage._
   - _The master patiently lessoned his pupils in the rules of grammar._

## Verb

9. To instruct or teach someone, especially in proper conduct or duty. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To teach or guide someone in what they should do.
   - _Her grandmother lessoned her in the duties of the household._
   - _Hard experience will lesson even the proudest of men._

## Origin

This word comes from Middle English lessoun, from Old French leçon, from Latin lēctiō, lēctiōnem ("a reading"), which in turn comes from legō ("I read, I gather"). It is a doublet of lection.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/lesson (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).