savant

[sa-vahnt, sav-uhnt, sa-vahn]

noun

plural

savants 

1. a person of profound or extensive learning; learned scholar.

savant

/ ˈsævənt, savɑ̃ /

noun

1. a man of great learning; sage

Other Word Forms

• savante noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of savant¹

1710–20; < French: man of learning, scholar, old present participle of savoir to know ≪ Latin sapere to be wise; sapient

Word History and Origins

Origin of savant¹

C18: from French, from savoir to know, from Latin sapere to be wise; see _sapient

Example Sentences

AI savants’ greatest strength may be their ability to tell the difference between the to-do’s that robo assistants improve and those that are better done by hand.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Young Jim showed an early gift for mathematics that bordered on savant territory.

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Denver Broncos linebacker and tackling savant Alex Singleton has long set a positive example for young football players in Southern California.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Zemeckis, who co-wrote the screenplay with Bob Gale, must have been as much of a madman savant as Christopher Lloyd’s Doc Brown to compress so much plot into every frame.

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Think of these as AI savants—specialized systems that already exist, and are evolving rapidly.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal