Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Idiot
Id′i-ot
(ĭd′ĭ-ŏt)
, Noun.
[F.
idiot
, L. idiota
an uneducated, ignorant, ill-informed person, Gr. ἰδιώτης
, also and orig., a private person, not holding public office, fr. ἴδιοσ
proper, peculiar. See Idiom
.] 1.
A man in private station, as distinguished from one holding a public office.
[Obs.]
St. Austin affirmed that the plain places of Scripture are sufficient to all laics, and all
idiots
or private persons. Jer. Taylor.
2.
An unlearned, ignorant, or simple person, as distinguished from the educated; an ignoramus.
[Obs.]
Christ was received of
idiots
, of the vulgar people, and of the simpler sort, while he was rejected, despised, and persecuted even to death by the high priests, lawyers, scribes, doctors, and rabbis. C. Blount.
Life . . . is a tale
Told by an
Signifying nothing.
Told by an
idiot
, full of sound and fury,Signifying nothing.
Shakespeare
4.
A fool; a simpleton; – a term of reproach.
Weenest thou make an
idiot
of our dame? Chaucer.
Webster 1828 Edition
Idiot
ID'IOT
, n.[L. idiota; Gr. private,vulgar,unskilled, peculiar, that is, separate, simple. See Idiom.]1.
A natural fool or fool from his birth; a human being in form, but destitute of reason, or the ordinary intellectual powers of man. A person who has understanding enough to measure a yard of cloth, number twenty correctly, tell the days of the week, &c., is not an idiot in the eye of the law.
2.
A foolish person; one unwise.Definition 2024
Idiot
Idiot
idiot
idiot
English
Alternative forms
Noun
idiot (plural idiots)
- (pejorative) A person of low general intelligence.
- (obsolete, medicine, psychology) A person of the lowest intellectual standing, a person who lacks the capacity to develop beyond the mental age of a normal four-year-old; a person with an IQ below 30.
Usage notes
- The word "idiot" is usually used pejoratively, as an insult. It is a weak insult, however, and between close friends, family members, or lovers, is often completely nonaggressive.
Synonyms
- See also Wikisaurus:idiot
Antonyms
Related terms
Related terms
Translations
person of low general intelligence
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person who lacks the capacity to develop beyond the mental age of a normal four-year-old
Czech
Noun
idiot m
- idiot (disliked or slow-witted person)
- idiot (person who lacks the capacity to develop beyond the mental age of a normal four-year-old)
Related terms
See also
- bezmozek
- blb
- blbec
- blbeček
- blboun
- debil
- dement
- hlupák
- hlupec
- hlupoň
- hňup
- imbecil
- janek
- Janek
- kretén
- pablb
- pako
- pitomec
- tupec
- tupoun
- ťulpas
- zabedněnec
French
Etymology
From Old French (cf. also the older form idiote), borrowed from Latin idiōta, from Ancient Greek ἰδιώτης (idiṓtēs, “layman”) from ἴδιος (ídios, “private”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /i.djo/
- Homophone: idiots
Adjective
idiot m (feminine singular idiote, masculine plural idiots, feminine plural idiotes)
Noun
idiot m (plural idiots, feminine idiote)
Norwegian Bokmål
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ἰδιώτης (idiṓtēs)
Noun
idiot m (definite singular idioten, indefinite plural idioter, definite plural idiotene)
Derived terms
References
- “idiot” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ἰδιώτης (idiṓtēs)
Noun
idiot m (definite singular idioten, indefinite plural idiotar, definite plural idiotane)
Derived terms
References
- “idiot” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Old French
Alternative forms
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin idiōta, from Ancient Greek ἰδιώτης (idiṓtēs, “layman”) from ἴδιος (ídios, “private”).
Adjective
idiot m (oblique and nominative feminine singular idiote)
Usage notes
- The form idiote was sometimes used as both masculine and feminine, as a direct borrowing from Latin idiota.
Descendants
References
- (fr) Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IXe au XVe siècle (1881) (idiot, supplement)
Romanian
Etymology
Borrowing from French idiot, itself borrowed from Latin idiōta, from Ancient Greek ἰδιώτης (idiṓtēs, “layman”) from ἴδιος (ídios, “private”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /i.diˈot/
Noun
idiot m (plural idioți, feminine equivalent idioată)
Synonyms
Adjective
idiot m, n (feminine singular idioată, masculine plural idioți, feminine and neuter plural idioate)
Declension
declension of idiot
| singular | plural | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | neuter | feminine | masculine | neuter | feminine | ||
| nominative/ accusative |
indefinite | idiot | idioată | idioți | idioate | ||
| definite | idiotul | idioata | idioții | idioatele | |||
| genitive/ dative |
indefinite | idiot | idioate | idioți | idioate | ||
| definite | idiotului | idioatei | idioților | idioatelor | |||
Synonyms
Serbo-Croatian
Etymology
From Latin idiōta, from Ancient Greek ἰδιώτης (idiṓtēs, “a private citizen, one who has no professional knowledge, layman”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /idǐot/
- Hyphenation: i‧di‧ot
Noun
idìot m (Cyrillic spelling идѝот)
Declension
Declension of idiot
See also
Slovak
Etymology
From Latin idiōta, from Ancient Greek ἰδιώτης (idiṓtēs, “a private citizen, one who has no professional knowledge, layman”).
Noun
idiot m (genitive singular idiota, nominative plural idioti, declension pattern of chlap)
Declension
Declension of idiot
Derived terms
- idiotický
- idioticky
- idiotstvo
- idiotizmus