idiot savant

See also: idiot-savant

English

Etymology

From French idiot savant, literally ‘wise idiot’.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

idiot savant (plural idiots savants or idiot savants)

1. (possibly derogatory) A person who exhibits an extraordinary ability in one subject (often mathematics) whilst being intellectually disabled in many other domains.
   • 2014 May 11, Ivan Hewett, “Piano Man: a Life of John Ogdon by Charles Beauclerk, review: A new biography of the great British pianist whose own genius destroyed him [print version: A colossus off-key, 10 May 2014, p. R27]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Review)‎^[1]:

     The temptation is to regard him [John Ogdon] as an idiot savant, a big talent bottled inside a recalcitrant body and accompanied by a personality that seems not just unremarkable, but almost entirely blank.

Usage notes

• The more current term is savant.

Synonyms

• autistic savant