idiot

Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to: navigation, search
See also Idiot, and IDiot

Contents

English

Etymology

From Middle English, from Old French idiote (later idiot), from Latin idiota, from Ancient Greek ἰδιώτης (idiōtēs, a private citizen, one who has no professional knowledge, layman), from ἴδιος (idios, one's own, pertaining to oneself, private); ἰδιώτης (idiōtēs) was used derisively in ancient Athens to refer to one who declined to take part in public life.

Pronunciation

Noun

idiot (plural idiots)

  1. (pejorative) A common term for a person of low general intelligence.
    usage note This may be used pejoratively, as an insult. It is a weak insult, however, and between close friends, family members, or lovers, is often completely nonaggressive.
  2. (obsolete) A medical or psychological term meaning a person who lacks the capacity to develop beyond the mental age of a normal four-year-old.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related terms

Translations


Czech

Noun

idiot m

  1. idiot (disliked or slow-witted person)
  2. idiot (person who lacks the capacity to develop beyond the mental age of a normal four-year-old)

Related terms

See also


French

Pronunciation

Adjective

idiot m (feminine idiote, masculine plural idiots, feminine plural idiotes)

  1. idiotic; stupid

Noun

idiot m (plural idiots; feminine idiote, plural idiotes)

  1. idiot

Old French

Adjective

idiot m

  1. ignorant; narrow-minded

Usage notes

  • The form idiote was sometimes used as both masculine and feminine, as a direct borrowing from Latin idiota.

Descendants

References


Romanian

Noun

idiot m (plural idioțifeminine equivalent idioată)

  1. idiot, moron, imbecile

Synonyms

Adjective

idiot

  1. stupid, idiotic, foolish, absurd

Synonyms


Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From Latin idiōta, from Ancient Greek ἰδιώτης (idiōtēs, a private citizen, one who has no professional knowledge, layman).

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /idǐot/
  • Hyphenation: i‧di‧ot

Noun

idìot m (Cyrillic spelling идѝот)

  1. idiot

Declension

See also


Slovak

Noun

idiot m , declension pattern chlap

  1. (pejorative) idiot

Derived terms


Swedish

Pronunciation

Noun

idiot c

  1. (pejorative) idiot

Declension