/ ˈskɒlə(r); NAmE ˈskɑːl-/ noun
1.
a person who knows a lot about a particular subject because they have studied it in detail :
a classical scholar
He was the most distinguished scholar in his field.
2.
a student who has been given a scholarship to study at a school, college or university :
a Rhodes scholar
3.
( BrE , informal ) a clever person who works hard at school :
I was never much of a scholar.
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English scol(i)ere schoolchild, student , from late Latin scholaris , from Latin schola , from Greek skholē leisure, philosophy, lecture-place.