scholar; student of learning
A somewhat literary or formal term for a person devoted to academic pursuits; not an everyday word for 'student'.
As a true scholar, he devoted his life to research.
Those who pursue learning should always be humble.
Compound of 学問 (learning, scholarship) + の (possessive particle) + 徒 (follower, adherent). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it follows a classical pattern for describing a person devoted to a pursuit.