polymath
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English
Alternative forms
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek πολυμαθής (polumathḗs, “having learnt much”), first attested in 1624. From πολύς (polús, “much”) + μανθάνω (manthánō, “to learn”). Compare opsimath, philomath, polyhistor, polymathic, polymathist, and polymathy. By surface analysis, poly- + math.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈpɒlɪmæθ/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈpɑliˌmæθ/, /ˈpɑlɪmæθ/
Audio (US): (file)
Noun
polymath (plural polymaths)
- A person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge.
- Synonyms: polyhistor, Renaissance man
- Coordinate terms: automath, monomath, opsimath
- 1624, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy (2nd edn.), p.6:
- To be thought and held Polumathes and Polihistors.
- 2021 December 29, Stephen Roberts, “Stories and facts behind railway plaques”, in RAIL, number 947, page 56:
- A bit of a polymath, he was crucial in the early development of the railways in this country.
Coordinate terms
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
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References
- “polymath, n. (a.)” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary
- “polymath, n. and adj.” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary