Autodidact
/ˌɔːtoʊˈdaɪdækt/noun
A person who teaches themself without formal instruction.
Did you know?Autodidact comes from Greek roots meaning “self” and “taught,” and it ultimately shares ancestry with English words like doctrine, doctor, and didactic — all tied to teaching and learning.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
autodidaktos
“self-taught”
Late Latin
Latin
autodidactus
“self-taught”
17th Century
English
autodidact
“a self-taught person”
Modern English
English
autodidact
“a person who learns without formal instruction”