automath means one who is self-taught. It carries an Arena rating of 1662, earned across 76 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, automath ranks #1,406 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #2,654 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words, #3,034 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #3,691 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words.
automath is pronounced /ˈɑtəmæθ/.
Why “automath” is a great word
AUTOMATH — [Noun] A person who acquires knowledge or skill through self-instruction. From the Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós, "self") + μανθάνω (manthánō, "to learn"). First appears c. 1759 in the publications of Edward Young. Unlike "autodidact," its more common and prosaic counterpart, or "polymath," which celebrates breadth of knowledge rather than its solitary origin, "automath" evokes a bygone, monastic dedication to learning. It is the rustle of stolen pages in a library corner, the patient geometry of a hand-drawn star chart, or the silent, stubborn logic of a child teaching themselves a forgotten language—a testament to the quiet, arduous construction of a self-made world.
Etymology
From αὐτός (autós, “self”) + μανθάνω (manthánō, “to learn”). Compare opsimath, philomath, polymath. By surface analysis, auto- + math. First appears c. 1759, in the publications of Edward Young.
noun
- One who is self-taught.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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