Pronunciation: \ˈi-dē-ət\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French ydiote, from Latin idiota ignorant person, from Greek idiōtēs one in a private station, layman, ignorant person, from idios one's own, private; akin to Latin suus one's own
Date: 14th century
1) usually offensive: a person affected with extreme mental retardation 2) a foolish or stupid person
I hear the word 'idiot' tossed around an awful lot these days. It's used to belittle the guy who cuts us off on the highway and the gal who disagrees with us. I wonder, do we really mean idiot when we say idiot? Do we intend offense?
Jesus warned - in Matthew 5:22 - that anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. Perhaps we should be more careful in calling others idiots.
*Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/idiot
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