Where does “cretinous” come from?
cretinous (English) comes from English cretin, from French crétin, from French crestin, from French chrétien, from Old French chrestien, from Latin Christiānus, from Latin Chrīstus, from Ancient Greek Χριστός — to rub; to stroke; to grind.
cretinous (English): Characteristic of a cretin; very stupid
Definitions
- Characteristic of a cretin; very stupid
Ancestry of “cretinous”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | cretin | A person who fails to develop mentally and... |
| 2 | French | crétin | cretin |
| 3 | French | crestin | Christian |
| 4 | French | chrétien | Christian |
| 5 | Old French | chrestien | Christian |
| 6 | Latin | Christiānus | Christian |
| 7 | Latin | Chrīstus | — |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | Χριστός | anointed; messiah; annointed, the annointed one,... |
| 9 | Ancient Greek | χρίω | to rub or smear (especially the body) with oil or unguents; to anoint |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰrēy- | to smear; to paint, streak, smear |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰer- | to rub; to stroke; to grind |