Idiot

The term idiot is in today's parlance, commonly referred to as a dirty word and refers to a stupid person. More or less strongly pejorative synonyms are about "fool", " dork ", " idiot, " " moron " or ( obsolescent ) " fool ".

Etymology and history of the concept

The word derives from the Greek ἰδιώτης ( idiotes ), which until today is value-free in as " private person ". It referred to in the polis those out talking from public - political affairs and perceived no offices, even if they are that was possible.

Borrowed into Latin as idiota, the meaning of the word shifted towards " layman ", also called " quack ", " Tinker ", " ignorant man ". Later the term was applied generally to lay people or people with a low educational level.

Nicholas of Cusa ( Cusanus ) can in some of his later writings a idiota -called main character, which is characterized as a layman or non - specialist, recite the actual developed in the text position, partially in conversation with different scholars. Like other Renaissance theorists Cusanus used implicitly, elsewhere also quite explicitly, against the theoretical subtleties of scholastic specialists: "A dialecticis libera nos, Domine " ( German: " Deliver us, Lord, by dialecticians " ), according to his written defense of De docta ignorantia.

In medicine and psychology was " idiocy " in use as diagnosis of certain forms of mental disability to the early 20th century, is from today's medical nomenclature but completely disappeared.