'Scholar' traces to Greek 'schole' (leisure) — a scholar is one devoted to leisure's highest use.
A specialist in a particular branch of study, especially in the humanities, or a student who holds a scholarship.
From Proto-Indo-European *skel- ("to be at leisure, to hold back from work") via Greek skhole ("leisure, rest from work; a place of learning") -> Latin schola ("school, learned discussion") -> Old English scol -> Middle English scoler -> Modern English scholar. The Greek skhole originally meant free time, leisure — the idea that learning requires freedom from labour. The semantic journey: PIE *skel- (leisure, holding back) -> Greek skhole (free time, philosophical discussion) -> Latin schola (place of instruction) -> Medieval Latin scholaris (pertaining to a school) -> Modern English scholar (one devoted to learning). The word
German distinguishes 'Schüler' (school pupil, from the same root as 'scholar') from 'Student' (university student, from Latin 'studēre'). English uses 'student' for both levels, but 'scholar' has been elevated to mean a specialist researcher — far above its original sense of simply 'someone who goes to school.'