In a book review about Gregor Mendel they said he was a "devoted naturalist, a polymath who saw connections between disparate scientific fields." It is from the greek, polymathes, meaning "very learned." It was a surprise to me to learn that the root of "math" means "learned" not specifically numerical learning. Polymath means one of encyclopedic learning.

Interesting, missann. I looked it up in the OED, and for the etymology it says:

"[< ancient Greek having learnt much < - POLY- comb. form + learning < the base of to learn (see MATHEMATICS n.). Cf. slightly earlier POLYMATHIST n.and earlier POLYHISTOR n. With use as adjective cf. earlier POLYMATHIC adj.]"

Since it referred me to mathematics, I then read about it. Interestingly, as you can see below from the OED, originally mathematics was a more collective term too. I hadn't known that.

"Originally: (a collective term for) geometry, arithmetic, and certain physical sciences involving geometrical reasoning, such as astronomy and optics; spec. the disciplines of the quadrivium collectively. In later use: the science of space, number, quantity, and arrangement, whose methods involve logical reasoning and usually the use of symbolic notation, and which includes geometry, arithmetic, algebra, and analysis; mathematical operations or calculations. Colloq. abbreviated maths, (N. Amer.) math."