Where does “idiocy” come from?
Idiocy comes from French idiotie, from Old French idiot, from Latin idiota, from Ancient Greek ἰδιώτης, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root swé meaning self, via Ancient Greek ἴδιος and its suffix -ιος and Proto-Indo-European -yós.
idiocy (English): The state or condition of being an idiot; the...
Definitions
- The state or condition of being an idiot; the...
Ancestry of “idiocy”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | idiotie | idiocy; nonsense |
| 2 | French | -ie | indicates a feminine noun, often an abstract one |
| 3 | Middle French | -ie | indicates a feminine noun, often an abstract one |
| 4 | Old French | -ie | indicates a feminine noun, often an abstract one |
| 5 | Latin | -ia | Used to form a feminine abstract noun, usually... |
| 6 | Latin | -ius | forming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | -jōs | Forms comparative adjectives |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -yós | Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems |