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Definition 2024

polymath

polymath

English

Alternative forms

polumathe, polymathe [both 17th century]

Noun

polymath ‎(plural polymaths)

A person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge.
- 1624, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy (2^nd edn.), p.6:
  To be thought and held Polumathes and Polihistors.

Synonyms

Antonyms

monomath

Related terms

Coordinate terms

factotum, handyman, jack of all trades, sciolist

Translations

person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge

Ancient Greek: πολυΐστωρ m ‎(poluḯstōr)
Arabic: عَلَّامَة (ar) ‎(ʿallāma)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 學識淵博的人, 学识渊博的人 ‎(xuéshí yuānbó de rén), 博學的人, 博学的人 ‎(bóxué de rén)
Czech: renesanční člověk m, polyhistor m
Finnish: monitietäjä, polyhistori, yleisnero (fi)
French: polymathe (fr) m, f
German: Polyhistor m, Universalgelehrter (de) m
Greek: πολυμαθής (el) m ‎(polymathís)

Icelandic: fjölfræðingur
Ottoman Turkish: علامه ‎(allame)
Polish: człowiek renesansu (pl) m, encyklopedysta (pl) m, uczony (pl) m, polihistor m, polimat (pl) m
Portuguese: polímata (pt) m, f, polímato m
Russian: эруди́т (ru) m ‎(erudít), учёный (ru) m ‎(učónyj)
Serbo-Croatian: polihistor (sh) m
Spanish: polímata (es) m, f
Swedish: polyhistor (sv) c, universalbegåvning c, universalsnille n, universalgeni (sv) n
Turkish: allame (tr)

References

“polymath, n. (a.)” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd ed., 1989]
“polymath, n. and adj.” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [3rd ed., September 2006]

Etymology

First attested in 1624; from the Ancient Greek πολυμαθής ‎(polumathḗs, “having learnt much”), from πολύς ‎(polús, “much”) + μάθη ‎(máthē) (mathē, “learning”; from μανθάνω ‎(manthánō), manthanō “I learn”); compare opsimath, philomath, polyhistor, polymathic, polymathist, and polymathy, as well as the French polymathe.

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) enPR: pŏʹlĭmăth, IPA^(key): /ˈpɒlɪmæθ/
(UK) enPR: pŏʹlĭmăth, IPA^(key): /ˈpɒlɪmaθ/
(US) enPR: pŏʹlimăth', IPA^(key): /ˈpɑliˌmæθ/