polymath

[ pol-ee-math ]

noun

1. a person of great learning in several fields of study; polyhistor.

polymath

/ ˈpɒlɪˌmæθ; pəˈlɪməθɪ /

noun

1. a person of great and varied learning

Derived Forms

• polymathy, noun
• ˌpolyˈmathic, adjective

Other Words From

• poly·mathic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of polymath¹

1615–25; < Greek polymathḗs learned, having learned much, equivalent to poly- poly- + -mathēs, adj. derivative of manthánein to learn

Word History and Origins

Origin of polymath¹

C17: from Greek polumathēs having much knowledge

Example Sentences

In short, I could become a polymath based on a theory that anyone can learn.

From Nautilus

Each, in his own way, was a polymath, a rebel, and a master of science communication.

From Science News

Something of a polymath, Rudnick is, according to his bio, “rumored to be quite close” to film critic Libby Gelman-Waxner, whose reviews have appeared in Premiere magazine and Entertainment Weekly.

From Washington Blade

Athanasius Kircher, the eccentric seventeenth-century Jesuit polymath, collector of curiosities, and borderline crank.

From The Daily Beast

Athanasius Kircher was a Jesuit priest and polymath, a man of unusual talents.

From The Daily Beast

Jonathan Alter on the remarkable 92 years of a true polymath who built one of America's great companies.

From The Daily Beast

Sure, their plump pariah son is now a svelte, BMOC, class president and (on paper) world-class polymath.

From The Daily Beast

And she completely unflappable, transitioning between discussions of sex toys and Stalinism with the ease of a true polymath.

From The Daily Beast

The polymath Aristoxenus is credited with a book on the writers of tragedy.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• accomplished
• educated
• scholarly
• scientific
• studied
• well-educated