philosopher

1. (originally) A lover of wisdom.

2. (archaic) A person who applies the principles of philosophy to the conduct of their life, as by acting calmly and rationally in the face of inevitable change.Examples: "Then certaine Philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoikes, encountred him"; "This is not the sort of happiness which a man would in general wish to owe to his wife; but where other powers of entertainment are wanting, the true philosopher will derive benefit from such as are given."archaic

3. (archaic) A student, scholar, or expert in any branch of knowledge, especially those branches studied prior to being considered part of pure science.archaic

4. (obsolete) An alchemist.Examples: "Then thus conclude I, since that God of heaven Will not that these philosophers neven How that a man shall come unto this stone, I rede as for the best to let it gon."; "No further progress was made in this science until the Mohammedan alchemists embarked upon their search for the philosopher's stone, the elixir of life, and a method of transmuting base metals into gold."obsolete