different between savant vs maven

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French savant, from Latin sapi?. Doublet of sapient.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /s??v?nt/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?sæv.?nt/

Noun

savant (plural savants)

1. A person of learning, especially one who is versed in literature or science.
2. A person who is considered eminent because of their achievements.
3. A person with significant mental disabilities who is very gifted in one area of activity, such as playing the piano or mental arithmetic.

   Synonym: idiot savant

Derived terms

Translations

Synonyms

• erudite
• expert
• genius

Related terms

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “savant”, in Online Etymology Dictionary

Anagrams

• avants, sat nav, sat-nav, satnav

French

Etymology

Old present participle of the verb savoir (modern: sachant).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sa.v??/

Adjective

savant (feminine singular savante, masculine plural savants, feminine plural savantes)

1. scholarly, scientific
2. perfect

   savant mélange

   perfect blend

Synonyms

• érudit, though the two are often juxtaposed (savants being portrayed as wise, the erudite as book-smart)

Derived terms

• emprunt savant
• nom savant

Related terms

• savamment
• savoir

Noun

savant m (plural savants, feminine savante)

1. scholar, scientist

Derived terms

Verb

savant

1. (obsolete) present participle of savoir

Further reading

• “savant” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• avants, vantas

Romanian

Etymology

From French savant.

Noun

savant m (plural savan?i)

1. scholar, scientist

Declension

English

Etymology

From Yiddish ?????? (meyvn, “expert, connoisseur, know-it-all”), from Hebrew ??????? (mevín, “one who understands, connoisseur, expert”), from ??????? (hevín, “to understand”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: m?v?n, IPA^(key): /?me?v?n/
• Rhymes: -e?v?n

Noun

maven (plural mavens)

1. (chiefly US) An expert in a given field.
   • 2002, Joseph H. Boyett, Jimmie T. Boyett, The Guru Guide to Marketing, page 207,

     Connectors know people—lots of people. Mavens know about things. They know, or find out first, what is going on. Connectors, says Gladwell, need mavens to tell them what to buzz about.

   • 2006 January 23, Virginia Robbins, Opinion: Eight Steps to Leadership, Computerworld, page 19,

     Besides an executive sponsor, you need to find a technology maven, someone within the company who understands the new technology. A maven, as defined in Malcolm Gladwell?s The Tipping Point, is a person who has both information and the social skills to pass it along. The challenge in a situation such as this one is that the maven might be outside of IT.

   • 2010, Rachel Davis Mersey, Can Journalism Be Saved?: Rediscovering America's Appetite for News, page 118,

     The goal for any media company is to be a maven—and therefore highly adept at using multiple channels of social media communication well.

Translations

Danish

Noun

maven c

1. definite singular of mave