Other forms: savants
A savant is somebody of very great learning or unusual gift. A visiting savant, an idiot savant, savant syndrome.
The plain sense is a scholar and is French rather than English in feel. Savant syndrome is the medical term for extraordinary ability alongside significant disability, and the older phrase idiot savant is both inaccurate and offensive.
1nounsavantSomebody of very great learning or unusual gift.
“The old professor was a true savant, able to discuss Greek poetry, physics and music.”
savant is a person.
French savant means knowing, from savoir, to know, from Latin sapere, to be wise.
Proto-Indo-European
*seh₁p-
Latin
sapiō
French
savant
English, today
savant
Borrowed from French savant, from Latin sapiō. a doublet of sapient. Sense 3 is a a clipping of idiot savant, literally ‘wise idiot’.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA