Savant - plus, learn some word history!

[Merriam-Webster]( WORD OF THE DAY [July 14, 2017](#none) savant [Audio pronunciation]( noun | sa-VAHNT Definition 1 : a person of learning; especially : one with detailed knowledge in some specialized field (as of science or literature) 2 : a person affected with a mental disability (such as [autism]() who exhibits exceptional skill or brilliance in some limited field (such as mathematics or music); especially : [autistic savant]( Scroll down for more about savant WORD GAMES AND QUIZZES: WEEKLY CHALLENGE [A Game of Thrones Word Quiz]( In the Game of Thrones quiz, you learn some new vocabulary. (It’s quite safe, really. You will not die.) [PLAY NOW]( Nailed this quiz? We have plenty more to try! [TAKE ME THERE [>]]( Plus: [SEE WHAT LOOKUPS ARE TRENDING NOW! [>]]( Did You Know? Savant comes from Latin sapere ("to be wise") by way of Middle French, where savant is the present participle of savoir, meaning "to know." Savant shares roots with the English words [sapient]( ("possessing great wisdom") and [sage]( ("having or showing wisdom through reflection and experience"). The term is sometimes used in common parlance to refer to a person who demonstrates extraordinary knowledge in a particular subject, or an extraordinary ability to perform a particular task (such as complex arithmetic), but who has much more limited capacities in other areas. Examples of SAVANT "His conversation, I remember, was about the [Bertillon system]( of measurements, and he expressed his enthusiastic admiration of the French savant." — Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, 1893 "It's romantic to imagine that every artist is a brilliant lone wolf savant who sends his pages by carrier pigeon to an awestruck editor who sends them out into the world as is, but that's really not how it works…." — Dana Schwartz, The New York Observer, 1 May 2017 Name That Synonym Fill in the blanks to complete a synonym of savant: v _ r _ u _ s _. [VIEW THE ANSWER [>]]( WORD HISTORY Had A Long Day of Travel? Check Into A Hospital Now maybe that questionable hostel won't seem so bad... [CHECK OUT THESE FOUR RELATED WORDS THAT SHARE A SINGLE ROOT [>]]( MORE WORD FUN: [WORD GAMES [>]]( [TRENDING NOW [>]]( [WORDS AT PLAY [>]]( FOLLOW US: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( [Pinterest]( SHARE: [Facebook][Facebook]( [Twitter][Twitter]( [View this email in a web browser]( You are receiving this email because you opted in to receive the Merriam-Webster Word of the Day. [Unsubscribe from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day]( [Manage your subscription settings]( Merriam-Webster, Inc. 47 Federal Street P.O. Box 281 Springfield, MA 01102 [www.merriam-webster.com](