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Definition of Idiot savant
1. Noun. Person who is mentally retarded in general but who displays remarkable aptitude in some limited field (usually involving memory).
Definition of Idiot savant
1. Noun. A person who exhibits an extraordinary ability in one subject (often mathematics) whilst being mentally retarded in all other fields. ¹
¹ Source: wiktionary.com
Lexicographical Neighbors of Idiot Savant
Literary usage of Idiot savant
Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:
1. Vocational Psychology: Its Problems and Methods by Harry Levi Hollingworth (1916)
"By the idiot savant is meant an individual who is in most respects mentally
defective, who perhaps cannot dress himself, cannot adequately learn to speak or ..."
2. The Civilization of Illiteracy by Mihai Nadin (1997)
"An idiot savant hears a piano concerto and replays it masterfully, ... A matchbox
falls and the idiot savant can state, without looking at the box, ..."
3. Mental Defectives: Their History, Treatment, and Training by Martin W. Barr (1904)
"Blind Tom," a wonderful musical idiot savant, was able to catch and reproduce
... The peculiar gifts of the idiot savant include aptitude for music and art, ..."
4. Types of Mental Defectives by Martin W. Barr, Earle Francis Maloney (1920)
"CASE D— idiot savant. AA (High-Grade Imbecile); was 22 years old when photo was
taken. The following life-history, unique in its way, records the partial ..."
5. Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage by Inc. Merriam-Webster (1994)
"The term idiot savant has long been used in medical parlance to describe a person
who is mentally deficient but exhibits great talent or brilliance in a ..."
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