Idiot
[id-ee-uh t] /ˈɪd i ət/
noun
1.
Informal. an utterly foolish or senseless person:
If you think you can wear that outfit to a job interview and get hired, you’re an idiot!
2.
Psychology. (no longer in technical use; considered offensive) a person of the lowest order in a former and discarded classification of mental retardation, having a mental age of less than three years old and an intelligence quotient under 25.
/ˈɪdɪət/
noun
1.
a person with severe mental retardation
2.
a foolish or senseless person
n.
early 14c., “person so mentally deficient as to be incapable of ordinary reasoning;” also in Middle English “simple man, uneducated person, layman” (late 14c.), from Old French idiote “uneducated or ignorant person” (12c.), from Latin idiota “ordinary person, layman; outsider,” in Late Latin “uneducated or ignorant person,” from Greek idiotes “layman, person lacking professional skill” (opposed to writer, soldier, skilled workman), literally “private person (as opposed to one taking part in public affairs),” used patronizingly for “ignorant person,” from idios “one’s own” (see idiom).
Reader, suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself. [Mark Twain, c.1882]
Idiot box “television set” is from 1959; idiot light “dashboard warning signal” is attested from 1968. Idiot savant attested by 1870.
idiot id·i·ot (ĭd’ē-ət)
n.
A person of profound mental retardation having a mental age below three years and generally being unable to learn connected speech or guard against common dangers. The term belongs to a classification system no longer in use and is now considered offensive.
id’i·ot’ĭk (-ŏt’ĭk) adj.
Read Also:
- Idiot-box
noun, Slang. 1. a television set; television. noun 1. (slang) a television set noun phrase A television set; television; the BOOB TUBE (1959+) A television set, as in There they sit in front of the idiot box, hour after hour. This slangy and pejorative expression dates from about 1960.
- Idiot-card
noun, Television Slang. 1. . noun phrase A large sheet of heavy paper held up out of range of the television camera to prompt actors or speakers; cue card: ”Idiot boards” are held out of camera range/ The scripts are gone, but now there are idiot cards (1952+ Television studio)
- Ideas
[ahy-dee-uh, ahy-deeuh ] /aɪˈdi ə, aɪˈdiə/ noun 1. any conception existing in the mind as a result of mental understanding, awareness, or activity. 2. a thought, conception, or notion: That is an excellent idea. 3. an impression: He gave me a general idea of how he plans to run the department. 4. an opinion, view, […]
- Idiotic
[id-ee-ot-ik] /ˌɪd iˈɒt ɪk/ adjective 1. of, relating to, or characteristic of an . 2. senselessly foolish or stupid: an idiotic remark. /ˌɪdɪˈɒtɪk/ adjective 1. of or resembling an idiot; foolish; senseless adj. 1713, from Late Latin idioticus “uneducated, ignorant,” in classical Latin, “of an ordinary person,” from Greek idiotikos “unprofessional, unskilled; not done by […]
- Idea of reference
idea of reference n. The belief that other people’s statements or acts have special reference to oneself when in fact they do not.