1590s, "of or pertaining to Scholastic theologians" (Churchmen in the Middle Ages whose theology and philosophy was based on Church Fathers and Aristotle), from Middle French scholastique (14c.), from Latin scholasticus "of a school," from Greek skholastikos "enjoying leisure; devoting one's leisure to learning," hence, as a noun, "a scholar," also in a bad sense, "a pedant; a simpleton," from skhola (see school, n.1). In English, meaning "pertaining to schools or to school education" is from 1640s. As a noun from 1640s. Related: Scholastical (1530s in the "relating to a school" sense); scholastically.