noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/ˈpɒlɪmæθ/
General-American:/ˈpɑliˌmæθ/
General-American:/ˈpɑlɪmæθ/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: polyhistor, Renaissance man
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
a person of great and varied learning
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek πολυμαθής (polumathḗs, “having learnt much”), first attested in 1624. From πολύς (polús, “much”) (for more, see poly-) + μανθάνω (manthánō, “to learn”). Compare opsimath, philomath, polyhistor, polymathic, polymathist, and polymathy.
Across languages
Translations
57 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
عَلَّامَة
(ʕallāma)
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Arabic:
بحر العلوم
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Bulgarian:
енциклопеди́ст
(enciklopedíst)
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Bulgarian:
еруди́т
(erudít)
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Bulgarian:
у́чен
(účen)
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Chinese Mandarin:
學識淵博的人 /学识渊博的人
(xuéshí yuānbó de rén)
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Chinese Mandarin:
博學的人 /博学的人
(bóxué de rén)
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Czech:
renesanční člověk
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Czech:
polyhistor
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Dutch:
veelweter
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Dutch:
alleskunner
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Dutch:
renaissancemens
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Finnish:
monitietäjä
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Finnish:
polyhistori
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Finnish:
yleisnero
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
French:
polymathe
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
French:
homme de la Renaissance
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Galician:
polímata
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
German:
Polyhistor
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
German:
Universalgelehrter
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Greek:
πολυμαθής
(polymathís)
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Ancient Greek:
πολυΐστωρ
(poluḯstōr)
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Icelandic:
fjölfræðingur
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Italian:
erudito
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Italian:
uomo universale
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Italian:
polimate
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Italian:
polimata
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Japanese:
博識者
(hakushikisha)
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Latin:
homō ūniversālis
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Macedonian:
енциклопеди́ст
(enciklopedíst)
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Macedonian:
еруди́т
(erudít)
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Occitan:
polimata
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Persian:
همهچیزدان
(hame-čizdân)
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Persian:
پردانش
(porrdâneš)
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Polish:
człowiek renesansu
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Polish:
encyklopedysta
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Polish:
uczony
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Polish:
polihistor
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Polish:
polimat
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Portuguese:
polímata
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Portuguese:
polímato
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Romanian:
polimat
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Romanian:
polihistor
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Russian:
эруди́т
(erudít)
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Russian:
учёный
(učónyj)
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Serbo-Croatian:
polihistor
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Sicilian:
spertu
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Sicilian:
pulìmatu
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Sicilian:
pulìmata
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Spanish:
polímata
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Swedish:
polyhistor
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Swedish:
universalbegåvning
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Swedish:
universalsnille
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Swedish:
universalgeni
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Turkish:
allame
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Ottoman Turkish:
علامه
(allame)
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
Uyghur:
ئەللامە
(ellame)
— person with extraordinarily broad and comprehensive knowledge
