Polymathe

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A scholar recognized for extensive understanding in numerous areas of knowledge
2. An individual distinguished by their mastery in multiple disciplines and areas of learning
3. Someone who has acquired a deep and broad understanding across a variety of subjects

Etymology: In Greek, "polymathes" was an adjective built from "polys," meaning "many" or "much," and "manthanein," meaning "to learn." Its literal sense was "having learned much," a plain description of accumulated study rather than a title or a profession. English borrowed the word from that Greek source, and it came to name a person whose learning ranged across many fields. The Greek root "manthanein" also gave English words such as "mathematics," which shows how much the same root has to do with knowledge and study.