idiota
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Spanish idiota, from Latin idiōta (“idiot”), from Ancient Greek ἰδιώτης (idiṓtēs, “layman”) from ἴδιος (ídios, “private”). Doublet of idiot.
Pronunciation
Audio (US): (file)
Noun
idiota (plural idiotas)
- (derogatory, slang, US) Fool or imbecile.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:fool
Catalan
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin idiōta, from Ancient Greek ἰδιώτης (idiṓtēs, “layman”) from ἴδιος (ídios, “private”).
Adjective
idiota m or f (masculine and feminine plural idiotes)
Noun
idiota m or f by sense (plural idiotes)
Derived terms
- idiota útil
- idiotesa
Related terms
- idiòcia
Further reading
- “idiota”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
- “idiota”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
- “idiota” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
- “idiota” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
Esperanto
Etymology
Pronunciation
Audio: (file)
- IPA(key): /idiˈota/
- Rhymes: -ota
- Hyphenation: i‧di‧o‧ta
Adjective
idiota (accusative singular idiotan, plural idiotaj, accusative plural idiotajn)
Galician
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin idiōta, from Ancient Greek ἰδιώτης (idiṓtēs, “layman”) from ἴδιος (ídios, “private”).
Adjective
idiota m or f (plural idiotas)
Noun
idiota m or f by sense (plural idiotas)
Related terms
- idiocia
Further reading
- “idiota”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2025
Italian
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin idiōta, from Ancient Greek ἰδιώτης (idiṓtēs, “layman”) from ἴδιος (ídios, “private”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /iˈdjɔ.ta/
- Rhymes: -ɔta
- Hyphenation: i‧diò‧ta
Noun
idiota m or f by sense (masculine plural idioti, feminine plural idiote)
- (derogatory) idiot, moron, maroon, clot
Adjective
idiota m or f (masculine plural idioti, feminine plural idiote)
Derived terms
- idiotaggine
- idiotamente
Related terms
Further reading
- idiota in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
Anagrams
Latin
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ἰδιώτης (idiṓtēs, “person not involved in public affairs, layman”), from ἴδιος (ídios, “private”).
Pronunciation
- (Classical Latin) IPA(key): [ɪ.diˈoː.ta]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): [i.d̪iˈɔː.t̪a]
Noun
idiōta m (genitive idiōtae); first declension
- (derogatory) idiot, an ignorant, uneducated or illiterate person
- (Medieval Latin) convert; conversus (lay brother)
- (Medieval Latin) private person
Usage notes
- (uneducated person): Sometimes used in a non-derogatory sense in Medieval Latin, partially influenced by a folk etymology deriving the term from idiōma, thus “one who speaks only their own language”, i.e., the vernacular and not Latin.
Declension
First-declension noun.
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | idiōta | idiōtae |
| genitive | idiōtae | idiōtārum |
| dative | idiōtae | idiōtīs |
| accusative | idiōtam | idiōtās |
| ablative | idiōtā | idiōtīs |
| vocative | idiōta | idiōtae |
Descendants
References
- “idiota”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- "idiota", in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
- “idiota”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
- a connoisseur; a specialist: (artis, artium) intellegens, peritus (opp. idiota, a layman)
- a connoisseur; a specialist: (artis, artium) intellegens, peritus (opp. idiota, a layman)
- idiota in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
- R. E. Latham, D. R. Howlett, & R. K. Ashdowne, editors (1975–2013), “idiota”, in Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources[2], London: Oxford University Press for the British Academy, →ISBN, →OCLC
- Niermeyer, Jan Frederik (1976) “idiota”, in Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden, Boston: E. J. Brill
Latvian
Noun
idiota m
- genitive singular of idiots
Polish
Alternative forms
- dyjota (Far Masovian, Łomża Voivodeship)
Etymology
Borrowed from French idiot, from Old French idiot, from Latin idiōta, from Ancient Greek ἰδιώτης (idiṓtēs, “layman”), from ἴδιος (ídios, “private”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /iˈdjɔ.ta/
Audio: (file) - Rhymes: -ɔta
- Syllabification: i‧dio‧ta
Noun
idiota m pers (female equivalent idiotka)
- (derogatory) idiot
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:głupiec
- (pathology, obsolete) person with severe mental retardation
Declension
Derived terms
Further reading
- idiota in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
- idiota in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Portuguese
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin idiōta, from Ancient Greek ἰδιώτης (idiṓtēs, “layman”) from ἴδιος (ídios, “private”).
Pronunciation
- (Brazil) IPA(key): /i.d͡ʒiˈɔ.tɐ/ [i.d͡ʒɪˈɔ.tɐ], (faster pronunciation) /iˈd͡ʒjɔ.tɐ/
- (Southern Brazil) IPA(key): /i.d͡ʒiˈɔ.ta/ [i.d͡ʒɪˈɔ.ta], (faster pronunciation) /iˈd͡ʒjɔ.ta/
- (Portugal) IPA(key): /iˈdjɔ.tɐ/ [iˈðjɔ.tɐ]
- Rhymes: -ɔtɐ
- Hyphenation: i‧dio‧ta
Adjective
idiota m or f (plural idiotas)
- idiotic
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:idiota
Noun
idiota m or f by sense (plural idiotas)
- idiot
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:idiota
Related terms
Further reading
- “idiota”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025
Spanish
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin idiōta, from Ancient Greek ἰδιώτης (idiṓtēs, “layman”) from ἴδιος (ídios, “private”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /iˈdjota/ [iˈð̞jo.t̪a]
- Rhymes: -ota
- Syllabification: i‧dio‧ta
Adjective
idiota m or f (masculine and feminine plural idiotas)
Noun
idiota m or f by sense (plural idiotas)
- (derogatory) idiot, moron, fool, dork, eejit
- (derogatory) dick, jerk, schmuck, douchebag, asshole, ass, jackass, prick (i.e., a cocky or self-important individual without any foundation for it)
Usage notes
- Although in some contexts zonzo, bobo, tonto, menso, culero, tarado, idiota, imbécil, estúpido and pendejo may be synonyms, in most contexts they have a different degree of intensity, with zonzo having the mildest connotation, increasing in intensity in that rough order, to estúpido and pendejo, which have the most offensive meaning.
Derived terms
Related terms
Further reading
- “idiota”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024