Editing Polymath (section)

==Related terms==
Aside from ''Renaissance man'', similar terms in use are {{lang|la|homo universalis}} ([[Latin]]) and {{lang|it|[[:it:Uomo universale|uomo universale]]}} ([[Italian language|Italian]]), which translate to 'universal man'.<ref name="Aus" /> The related term ''generalist''—contrasted with a ''specialist''—is used to describe a person with a general approach to knowledge.

The term ''universal genius'' or ''versatile genius'' is also used, with [[Leonardo da Vinci]] as the prime example again. The term is used especially for people who made lasting contributions in at least one of the fields in which they were actively involved and when they took a universality of approach.

When a person is described as having [[encyclopedic knowledge]], they exhibit a vast scope of knowledge. However, this designation may be anachronistic in the case of persons such as [[Eratosthenes]], whose reputation for having encyclopedic knowledge predates the existence of any [[Encyclopedia|encyclopedic object]].