Where does “idiot” come from?
idiot (Old French) comes from Latin idiōta, from Ancient Greek ἰδιώτης, from Ancient Greek ἴδιος, from Proto-Hellenic *hwédios.
idiot (Old French): ignorant; narrow-minded
Ancestry of “idiot”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | idiōta | — |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | ἰδιώτης | a private person, one not engaged in public... |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ἴδιος | pertaining to self, that is, one's own; private;... |
| 4 | Proto-Hellenic | *hwédios | — |
Words derived from “idiot”