idiot
id-i-ot · noun
Definitions
noun
- 1.
(Informal, derogatory) A stupid person; someone who acts in a foolish manner.
- 2.
(Historical, psychology) A person with severe intellectual disability. (Now considered offensive when used in this sense.)
Forms
plural: idiots
Phrases & expressions
- •village idiot — the foolish person in a community
- •useful idiot — someone manipulated by others for their purposes
- •idiot box — slang for television
- •idiot-proof — designed to be impossible to misuse
- •complete idiot — someone behaving very foolishly
Related words
Etymology
From Latin idiota ("ordinary person, layman"), from Greek idiotes ("private person, layman, ignorant person"), from idios ("one's own, private"). Originally, the term referred to someone who did not hold public office or participate in public affairs, later evolving to mean an uneducated or ignorant person.