Polymath

A polymath (also known as a polyhistor) is a person who excels in multiple fields, particularly in both arts and sciences. The most common other term for this phenomenon is Renaissance man, but also in use are Homo universalis and Uomo Universale, which in Latin and Italian, respectively, translate as "Universal Man". (NB In Latin homo may be male or female, the Latin word for a male human being vir.)

Etymological differentiation between Polymath and Polyhistor

Many dictionaries and dictionaries of word origins list these words as synonyms. Thus today, regardless of any differentiation they may have had when originally coined, they are often taken to mean the same thing (except when used by specialists).

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The root terms "histor" and "math" have similar meanings in their etymological antecedents (to learn, learned, knowledge), though with some initial and ancillarily added differing qualities.

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Innate in "historí?" (Greek and Latin) is that the learning takes place via inquiry and narrative. "Híst?r" also implies erudition and wisdom in the polyhistor. From indo-european it shares a root with "wit". Inquiry and narrative are specific sets of pedagogical and research heuristics.

Related Topics:
Narrative - Erudition - Polyhistor - Heuristics

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Two conceivable definitions of polymath are the overt 'greatly learned', which would be inclusive of polyhistor (though not all polymaths would be polyhistors, all polyhistors would be polymaths). Another would be that polymath via the adjunct of science from the Greek "math?matikè téchn?" implies that the knowledge and learning be specifically about sciences or have been gained through scientific inquiry or more broadly be mathematically-logically based. Science is a somewhat different set of specific research heuristics.

Related Topics:
Polyhistor - Heuristics

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References: "History", "Mathematics", "Polymath" and "Polyhistor" in one or more of: Chamber's Dictionary of Etymology, The Oxford Dictionary of Word Histories, The Cassell Dictionary of Word Histories

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