According to Merriam-Webster's Eleventh Collegiate Dictionary (2003), imbecile is a French import that entered English in 1802; in contemporaneous French, imbécile meant "weak" or "weak-minded." For its part, cretin arrived in English in 1779, from a French dialect word crétin meaning "wretch" or "innocent victim" and ultimately deriving from the Latin word christianus ("Christian" ).
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6 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Imbecile is from the Latin imbecillus meaning weak or feeble.
Cretin from crestin is of uncertain origin.
I can't help but wonder what the etymons for ersatz and specious are.
waitingforgodo
Level 8
Feb 20, 2021
0
interesting, ty. Always thought it derived from the greek island? Got a link for the last bit? ty
bbyrd009
Level 7
Feb 20, 2021
0
Sorry, no link. My bad.
What is the ethimology of moron?
Mofo1953
Level 9
Feb 20, 2021
1
Not Sheridan's play The Rivals?
@waitingforgodo you're not the poster and your reply is thus irrelevant and also incorrect
If you were familiar with the play then you'd know why my comment is irrefutably relevant to your contribution.
@waitingforgodo i am, actually I did community theater and participated on several Sheridans plays including the Rivals, where I was Sir Anthony, your post is still totally irrelevant and incorrect.
@Mofo1953 given your "ethimology of moron" (sic) you could have been cast as Mrs Malaprop. Bravo. Encore.
@waitingforgodo I did not provide any etymology, typos happen frequently, especially in this site, anyway only the british enjoy acting as women in plays, not something usually done here in the US unless it is satire, but much to your chagrin I was cast as Sir Anthony so despite your equally irrelevant and pathetic wish, the way I defined your irrelevant and incorrect post remains unaltered.
Superb performance, pretending it was a typo and not blinking despite not knowing why you'd be perfect in her role. Applause. Standing ovation.
@waitingforgodo a better performance would be you as a whore sucking my dick. Bravo! Swallow!
@Mofo1953 the flaccid folderol accentuates your inherent illiteracy/ignorance.
@waitingforgodo gargle with it then swallow, don't spit. Suck and encore.
Not sure where "moron" comes from, but I have read that it is a root in the word "sophomore." There is disagreement about that, but after a 20-year career teaching 10th graders I can testify that the many are indeed "wise fools."
Not to be confused with the delicious Cretons pork meat spread with herbs and spices.
Surfpirate
Level 9
Feb 19, 2021
2
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