Savante
/səˈvɑːnt/noun
A learned woman; a female scholar or expert.
Did you know?Savante comes through French from Latin sapere, the same ancient root behind words tied to wisdom, taste, and discernment — as if knowledge itself was something you could literally “have a taste for.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sep-
“To taste, perceive, know”
Latin
Latin
sapere
“To taste; to be wise”
Late Latin
Latin
sapiens
“Wise, discerning”
Old French
Old French
savant
“A learned person; one who knows”
Modern English
English
savante
“A learned woman”