idiot savant
[id-ee-uh t sa-vahnt, suh-vant, sav-uh nt; French ee-dyoh sa-vahn]
- a mentally defective person with an exceptional skill or talent in a special field, as a highly developed ability to play music or to solve complex mathematical problems mentally at great speed.
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Origin of idiot savant
1925–30; < French: literally, learned idiot
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
idiot savant
- a person with learning difficulties who performs brilliantly at some specialized intellectual task, such as giving the day of the week for any calendar date past or present
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Word Origin
C19: from French: knowledgeable idiot
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
idiot savant
(să-vänt′)- A mentally retarded person who exhibits genius in a highly specialized area, such as mathematics.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.