Wordwyrt

idiot

/ˈɪˌdiət/IH-dee-uht
/ˈɪˌdiət/IH-dee-uht

Meaninga private person

Common meaning: a foolish person

Other meanings: formerly also a clinical label for severe intellectual disability, now offensive in that sense

Journey through time

  1. Greekἴδιος‘personal, peculiar to oneself’
  2. Latinidiota
  3. Frenchidiot
  4. Middle Englishidiotsource
  5. Englishidiot‘a foolish person’ · today

idio also in: idiom

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Greek ἴδιος ‘personal, peculiar to oneself’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Liddell & Scott, Greek-English Lexicon (1883), entry ἴδιος, p. 693 · dictionary scan

Roots

Related words

idiom

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