opsimath
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English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From the Ancient Greek ὀψιμαθής (opsimathḗs, “late in learning”), ultimately from ὀψέ (opsé, “late”) and μανθάνω (manthánō, “I learn”); compare opsimathy, philomath, and polymath. First appears c. 1808 in The Gentleman's Magazine.
Pronunciation
[edit]Noun
[edit]opsimath (plural opsimaths)
- (rare) A person who learns late in life.[1]
- 1808, Palaeus, "Stipendiary Curates: Fox's Historical Work," in The Gentleman's Magazine, June, p. 480:
- But with reference to the latter, I may be permitted to say, that from the dissipation and idleness of his earlier years, Mr. Fox in Greek and Roman Literature was necessarily an Opsimath.
- 1951, L. A. Bisson, “French Literature 1789-1914”, in R. L. Graeme Ritchie, editor, A Companion to French Studies, Methuen, page 297:
- The truth is that Zola was an opsimath, who had read Stendhal, Flaubert, Balzac, the Goncourts and Taine late in life.
- 1808, Palaeus, "Stipendiary Curates: Fox's Historical Work," in The Gentleman's Magazine, June, p. 480:
Derived terms
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd ed., 2004.