Opsimath

//ˈɑpsɪmæθ// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A person who learns late in life. rare

    "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."

Example

More examples

"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."

Etymology

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.

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.