polyhistor

American  

[pol-ee-his-ter] / ˌpɒl iˈhɪs tər /

Also polyhistorian

noun

1. a person of great and varied learning.

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Other Word Forms

• polyhistoric adjective
• polyhistory noun

Etymology

Origin of polyhistor

First recorded in 1565–75; from Latin polyhistor, from Greek polyístōr “very learned.” See poly-, history

Explanation

A polyhistor is a person whose knowledge spans a vast range of subjects. You probably know someone who seems to know everything about just about everything: You might call that person a polyhistor. The word polyhistor comes from the Greek poly, meaning "many," and histōr, meaning "learned" or "knowing." Historically, the polyhistors were scholars of the 16th and 17th centuries who attempted to catalog all known human knowledge. A polyhistor is very similar to a polymath, a person skilled in many different practical areas (e.g., Leonardo da Vinci, skilled as an artist, scientist, architect, engineer, etc.). But a polyhistor is more associated with vast, encyclopedic knowledge and learning.

Example Sentences

Hence he was a polyhistor, and a walking encyclop�dia, and people turned over the leaves of him when they wanted information on any point.

From The Serapion Brethren. Vol. II by Hoffmann, Ernst Theordor Wilhelm

In the 11th century the polyhistor Michael Psellus also wrote polemics against the Euchites, among whom the Syrian Gnosis was reviving.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 5 "Greek Law" to "Ground-Squirrel" by Various

A philosophus instrumentalis can pass for a polyhistor.

From Comedies by Holberg : Jeppe of the Hill, The Political Tinker, Erasmus Montanus by Holberg, Ludvig, baron

Sir William Hamilton was a vast polyhistor long before he could be called a philosopher, or even thought himself one.

From Continental Monthly , Vol. 5, No. 6, June, 1864 Devoted to Literature and National Policy by Various

Eratosthenes the polyhistor, and Synesius, one of the most elegant of the ancient Christian writers.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 8 "Cube" to "Daguerre, Louis" by Various