idiot savant

[ id-ee-uht sa-vahnt, suh-vant, sav-uhnt; French ee-dyoh sa-vahn ]

noun

, Psychiatry.

, plural id·i·ot sa·vants, French id·i·ots sa·vants [ee-dyoh s, a, -, vahn].

1. a mentally defective person with an exceptional skill or talent in a special field, as a highly developed ability to play music or to solve complex mathematical problems mentally at great speed.

idiot savant

/ ˈɪdɪət ˈsævənt; ˈiːdjəʊ sæˈvɑ̃ /

noun

1. a person with learning difficulties who performs brilliantly at some specialized intellectual task, such as giving the day of the week for any calendar date past or present

Word History and Origins

Origin of idiot savant¹

1925–30; < French: literally, learned idiot

Word History and Origins

Origin of idiot savant¹

C19: from French: knowledgeable idiot