polymath

noun

poly·​math ˈpä-lē-ˌmath 

: a person of encyclopedic learning

polymath adjective

or polymathic

ˌpä-lē-ˈma-thik 

polymathy

pə-ˈli-mə-thē  ˈpä-lə-ˌma-thē 

noun

Examples of polymath in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Jones, the legendary polymath who died at age 91 on Sunday, spent a lifetime making music like this—music that defined its era by transcending it. —Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 5 Nov. 2024

More than any of the wide-ranging jobs Miranda has taken on in the past five years, The Warriors, a classic yarn about underprivileged New Yorkers weathering an arduous power struggle, is catnip for the 44-year-old Pulitzer Prize–winning polymath. —Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2024

The hip-hop polymath received the honor after his decade-plus of wins and achievements in the rap space as a hitmaker and producer. —Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019

Tell me more about Rhiannon Giddens. Giddens, who is breaking Beyoncé’s internet as Banjo Auntie, is known in other circles as a folk polymath often interested in projects spanning Black music history. —Bethy Squires, Vulture, 29 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Greek polymathēs very learned, from poly- + manthanein to learn — more at mathematical

First Known Use

1621, in the meaning defined above