idiot savant

[ id-ee-uht sa-vahnt, suh-vant, sav-uhnt; French ee-dyoh sa-vahn ]

/ ˈɪd i ət sæˈvɑnt, səˈvænt, ˈsæv ənt; French i dyoʊ saˈvɑ̃ /

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noun, plural id·i·ot sa·vants, French id·i·ots sa·vants

[ee-dyoh sa-vahn]. /i dyoʊ saˈvɑ̃/. Psychiatry.

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

Words nearby idiot savant

idiotic, idiotism, idiotize, idiot-proof, idiotropic, idiot savant, idiot's delight, idiot strings, idiot tape, idiotype, idioventricular

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use idiot savant in a sentence

By Monday evening, it had been leaked to the blogger The Two-Bit Idiot, who published it on the Web.
Inside Japan’s Bitcoin Heist|Jake Adelstein|February 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Like a savant, he navigates us through a tasting of three French beers, finished off by a pairing with 18-month-old comté cheese.
Look Out! There’s a Craft-Beer Revolution Taking Over France|Jeff Campagna|December 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
She has a blog, Fox on Stocks, where the self-taught savant holds forth on the ins and outs of the market.
When Celebrities Like Mila Kunis Talk Stocks, It’s Time to Get Out of the Market|Daniel Gross|March 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Internet savant Aaron Swartz was found dead in his New York apartment on Friday from an apparent suicide.
The Swartz Family’s Statement and More Reactions to the Death of Aaron Swartz||January 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The New York Times electoral savant was said to be “controversial.”
The GOP’s Absurd Attack on Susan Rice Over Benghazi|Michael Tomasky|November 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The perfumer destined this engraving for the savant Vauquelin, to whom he was under obligations.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z|Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois Christophe
The future famous savant (Desplein) watched by his bedside at the last and closed his eyes.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z|Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois Christophe
She looked up to the young savant, if not as a god or hero, at least as a man far superior to his contemporaries.
Urania|Camille Flammarion
I had been thinking lately that the distinguished savant was going decidedly wrong.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 93, September 24, 1887|Various
Liszt wrote a rejoinder in which he failed to justify himself, but succeeded in giving the poor savant some hard hits.
Frederick Chopin as a Man and Musician|Frederick Niecks

British Dictionary definitions for idiot savant

idiot savant

/ (ˈiːdjəʊ sæˈvɑ̃, ˈɪdɪət ˈsævənt) /

noun plural idiots savants (ˈiːdjəʊ sæˈvɑ̃) or idiot savants

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

Word Origin for idiot savant

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

Medical definitions for idiot savant

idiot savant

[ să-vänt′ ]

n. pl. idiot savants

A mentally retarded person who exhibits genius in a highly specialized area, such as mathematics.