Dictionary

opsimath en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈɑpsɪmæθ/ (US)
• /ˈɒpsɪmæθ/ (UK)

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.

Meanings

1. (rare) A person who learns late in life.
   • I consider myself something of an opsimath, one who has been blessed with remarkable teachers and friends to assist my slow journey towards the experiences and understanding I was so keen to realize. 2010, Philip Shepherd, New Self, New World, →ISBN, page 451:
   • 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. 1808, Palaeus, "Stipendiary Curates: Fox's Historical Work," in The Gentleman's Magazine, June, p. 480
   • The truth is that Zola was an opsimath, who had read Stendhal, Flaubert, Balzac, the Goncourts and Taine late in life. 1951, L. A. Bisson, “French Literature 1789-1914”, in R. L. Graeme Ritchie, editor, A Companion to French Studies, Methuen, page 297:

Forms

Coordinates

automath · monomath · polymath

Deriveds

opsimathic · opsimathy

Relateds

late bloomer

wikipedia: The Gentleman's Magazine