Idiot
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Idiot is a word derived from the Greek ἰδιώτης, idiōtēs ("layman," "person lacking professional skill," "a private citizen," "individual"), from ἴδιος, idios ("private," "one's own").[1] In Latin, the word idiota ("ordinary person, layman") came before the Late Latin meaning for "uneducated or ignorant person."[2] Its modern meaning and form dates back to Middle English around the year 1300, from the Old French idiote ("uneducated or ignorant person"). The related word idiocy dates to 1487 and may have been analagously modeled on the words prophet and prophecy.[3]
Versions of the word exist in Bulgarian, Danish, Dutch, German, Norwegian, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovenian, Spanish, and Swedish.
[edit] References
- ↑ Liddell-Scott-Jones A Greek-English Lexicon, entries for ἰδιώτης and ἴδιος.
- ↑ Words, entry idiota.
- ↑ Etymonline.com, entry idiot.
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