Definition of idiot

Definitions

idiot

noun

(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.

(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.

Translations:

Dutch: idioot
French: idiot^(fr)m
German: Idiot , Idiotin
Spanish: idiota

Etymology: < idiote < idiota < (idiotes) "a private citizen", "individual", also "one who has no professional knowledge, layman" and "unpractised, unskilled" < (idios) "one's own, pertaining to oneself, private"; used derisively in ancient Athens to refer to one who declined to take part in public life.

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