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Webster 1913 Edition

Cretin

Cre′tin

(krē′tĭn)
,
Noun.
[F.
crétin
; of uncertain origin.]
One afflicted with cretinism.

Webster 1828 Edition

Cretin

CRETIN

,
Noun.
A name given to certain deformed and helpless idiots in the Alps.

Definition 2025

cretin

cretin

See also: crétin

English

Noun

cretin ‎(plural cretins)

  1. (pathology) A person who fails to develop mentally and physically due to a congenital hypothyroidism.
  2. (pejorative) An idiot.
    • 1969, Irving Wallace, The Seven Minutes
      When I challenged the symbolism, tried to make the professor consider the book as a piece of realism, he regarded me as if I were an absolute cretin. He got very supercilious and condescending […]

Synonyms

  • See also Wikisaurus:idiot

Derived terms

Translations

External links

Etymology

From French crétin ‎(“cretin, idiot”), from crestin, an Alpine dialectal form of chrétien, from Vulgar Latin christianus in the lost sense of 'anyone in Christendom', often with a sense of 'poor fellow'.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈkɹɛtn̩/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈkɹiːtn̩/, IPA(key): /ˈkɹɛtn̩/
  • Homophones: Cretan (one pronunciation)

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