A polymath is someone whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas — historically often science, art, and philosophy at once. The term is used both descriptively (someone who happens to know a lot) and as an ideal (the 'Renaissance man').
Etymology
Origin: Greek
- poly- — many (Greek (πολύ))
- -math — learning, knowledge (Greek (μανθάνειν, manthanein — to learn))
Entered English in the early 17th century via the Greek 'polymathēs' (πολυμαθής), literally 'having learned much.'
Example
- Leonardo da Vinci is the archetypal polymath, working across painting, anatomy, and engineering.