savants
|sa-vants|
/səˈvɑːnt/
(savant)
learned person
Etymology
'savant' originates from French, specifically the word 'savant', where the verb 'savoir' meant 'to know' (from Latin roots).
'savant' comes from Old French (present participle of 'savoir') and entered English in the 18th century as 'savant', ultimately tracing back to Latin 'sapere' meaning 'to be wise' or 'to taste/know'.
Initially, it meant 'one who knows' or 'learned person', and over time it retained that meaning; later specialized uses arose (e.g., 'idiot savant') to describe people with remarkable isolated abilities, a sense that developed after the original borrowing.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a learned person; a scholar or someone with profound knowledge in a particular field.
Savants in the field of history often contribute important insights to our understanding of the past.
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Noun 2
a person (often with developmental differences) who has an extraordinary skill or brilliance in a specific area (as in memory, arithmetic, or music) despite overall cognitive impairments; historically called an 'idiot savant' (term now outdated and considered offensive).
Some savants can perform complex calendar calculations or reproduce entire pieces of music from memory.
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Last updated: 2025/09/26 22:50