know-nothing

views updated

know-noth·ing • n. 1. an ignorant person. 2. (Know-Nothing) hist. a member of a political party in the U.S., prominent from 1853 to 1856, that was antagonistic toward Roman Catholics and recent immigrants and whose members preserved its secrecy by denying its existence.DERIVATIVES: know-no·thing·ism n.

More From encyclopedia.com