Where does “idiot light” come from?
idiot light (English) comes from English IDiot, from English ID, from Hindi ईद, from Persian عید, from Arabic عِيد, from Arabic محمد, from Arabic حَمَّدَ, from Arabic م.
idiot light (English): Any warning light or indicator on the dashboard...
Definitions
- Any warning light or indicator on the dashboard...
Ancestry of “idiot light”, step by step
idiot light traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English IDiot
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | IDiot | A proponent of intelligent design |
| 2 | English | ID | Initialism of identification or identity... |
| 3 | Hindi | ईद | Eid |
| 4 | Persian | عید | feast, feast day; celebration; holiday |
| 5 | Arabic | عِيد | holiday, carnival; feast, festival; holiday,... |
| 6 | Arabic | محمد | commendable, laudable, praised, praiseworthy;... |
| 7 | Arabic | حَمَّدَ | to praise, commend, laud; to praise, commend,... |
| 8 | Arabic | م | a prefix used to create nouns of place; a prefix... |
| 9 | Proto-Semitic | šamaʿ- | — |
via English Light
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Light | A place name |
| 2 | Middle English | light | The radiation which allows for vision by... |
| 3 | Old English | lēoht | luminous, bright, light, clear, resplendent,... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | leuht | light, bright; light |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | leuhtą | light |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | lewktom | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | lewk- | bright; to shine; to see |