opsimath

/ˈɒpsɪmæθ/

Etymology

From the Ancient Greek ὀψιμαθής (opsimathḗs, “late in learning”), ultimately from ὀψέ (opsé, “late”) and μανθάνω (manthánō, “I learn”); compare opsimathy, philomath, and polymath. First appears c. 1808 in The Gentleman's Magazine.

Why this word is great

OPSIMATH — [Noun] A person who begins or continues to learn late in life. From the Ancient Greek ὀψέ (opsé, "late") and μανθάνω (manthánō, "I learn"). Unlike "philomath" (which celebrates learning at any age) or "prodigy" (which exalts early brilliance), "opsimath" honors the stubborn flame of curiosity that refuses to gutter out. It is the retired accountant picking up the violin at sixty, the grandmother mastering Python by lamplight, or the middle-aged clerk memorizing Homeric Greek on the subway—proof that the mind, like certain wines, can deepen long after others assume it has turned to vinegar. The opsimath carries the secret that all learning is, in the end, an act of rebellion.

noun

A person who learns late in life.“But with reference to the latter, I may be permitted to say, that from the dissipation and idleness of his earlier years, Mr. Fox in Greek and Roman Literature was necessarily an Opsimath.”