In case it is useful, here is part of what Oxford English Dictionary gives for idiot, noun:
1.a.
c1384–
A person without learning; an ignorant, uneducated person; a simple or ordinary person. Now archaic and rare.
[With reference to the Apostles (see quots. c1384, c1450) ultimately after ancient Greek ἰδιώτης in its specific sense ‘ignorant, layman’ (so in Acts 4:13, the passage translated in quot. c1384).]
c1384
Forsoth thei seynge the stedfastnesse of Petre and John, founden that thei weren men with oute lettris, and idiotis [a1425 L.V. men vnlettrid, and lewid men; Latin homines..sine litteris et idiotæ], wondriden.
Bible (Wycliffite, early version) (Douce MS. 369(2)) (1850) Deeds iv. 13
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c1450
Ryght as be twelue ydiotes, sent Austyn seyth—he meneth the apostellis, for thei not lerned were—Thurgh-ovte þe world was sowen ovr feyth.
J. Capgrave, Life of St. Katherine (Arundel MS. 396) (1893) i. l. 288 (Middle English Dictionary)
…
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etymology
< (i) Anglo-Norman ideot, ideote, idyot, ydeot, Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French idiote, ydiote, Anglo-Norman and Middle French idiot, ydiot, ydeote (French idiot) (noun) uneducated, ignorant person (1164), stupid person, mentally impaired person (c1374), (adjective) ignorant, uneducated (c1224), foolish, stupid, incapable of reasoning (c1300), (of behaviour, appearance, etc., of a person) characteristic of an idiot or idiocy (1612),
and its etymons (ii) classical Latin idiōta (in post-classical Latin also ideota, ydeota, ydiota, etc.) ordinary person, layman, amateur, private individual, in post-classical Latin also recent convert (Vulgate), ignorant, uneducated person (early 3rd cent. in Tertullian), professional fool or jester (12th cent. in a British source), stupid person, mentally impaired person (from 13th cent. in British sources),
and (iii) ancient Greek ἰδιώτης private person, person without professional knowledge, layman, ignorant, ill-informed person, in Hellenistic Greek also common man, plebeian < ἴδιος private, own, peculiar (see idio- comb. form) + ‑ώτης ‑ote suffix.
Compare Catalan idiota (15th cent.), Spanish idiota (a1450; early 14th cent. as ydiota), Portuguese idiota (first half of the 16th cent.; 15th cent. as yndiota), Italian idiota (a1306 in sense ‘uneducated person’, a1388 in sense ‘stupid person’). The Latin word was also borrowed into other Germanic languages; compare e.g. Middle Dutch ydioot not fully developed person (c1330; Dutch idioot stupid person (1562 as †idioet)), Middle Low German īdeōt, īdiōt, German Idiot (early 16th cent. in sense ‘uneducated, ignorant person’, 18th cent. in sense ‘bungler’, 19th cent. in sense ‘stupid person, person with an intellectual disability’ (which is now the usual
Summary
Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from French. Partly a borrowing from Latin. Partly a borrowing from Greek.
Etymons: French idiot; Latin idiōta; Greek ἰδιώτης.
< (i) Anglo-Norman ideot, ideote, idyot, ydeot, Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French idiote, ydiote, Anglo-Norman and Middle French idiot, ydiot, ydeote (French idiot) (noun) uneducated, ignorant person (1164), stupid person, mentally impaired person (c1374), (adjective) ignorant, uneducated (c1224), foolish, stupid, incapable of reasoning (c1300), (of behaviour, appearance, etc., of a person) characteristic of an idiot or idiocy (1612),
and its etymons (ii) classical Latin idiōta (in post-classical Latin also ideota, ydeota, ydiota, etc.) ordinary person, layman, amateur, private individual, in post-classical Latin also recent convert (Vulgate), ignorant, uneducated person (early 3rd cent. in Tertullian), professional fool or jester (12th cent. in a British source), stupid person, mentally impaired person (from 13th cent. in British sources),
and (iii) ancient Greek ἰδιώτης private person, person without professional knowledge, layman, ignorant, ill-informed person, in Hellenistic Greek also common man, plebeian < ἴδιος private, own, peculiar (see idio- comb. form) + ‑ώτης ‑ote suffix.
Compare Catalan idiota (15th cent.), Spanish idiota (a1450; early 14th cent. as ydiota), Portuguese idiota (first half of the 16th cent.; 15th cent. as yndiota), Italian idiota (a1306 in sense ‘uneducated person’, a1388 in sense ‘stupid person’). The Latin word was also borrowed into other Germanic languages; compare e.g. Middle Dutch ydioot not fully developed person (c1330; Dutch idioot stupid person (1562 as †idioet)), Middle Low German īdeōt, īdiōt, German Idiot (early 16th cent. in sense ‘uneducated, ignorant person’, 18th cent. in sense ‘bungler’, 19th cent. in sense ‘stupid person, person with an intellectual disability’ (which is now the usual sense, and is probably after English)), Swedish idiot (early 17th cent.).
Compare idiota n., a later independent borrowing of the Latin noun.
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1.a.
c1384–
A person without learning; an ignorant, uneducated person; a simple or ordinary person. Now archaic and rare.
[With reference to the Apostles (see quots. c1384, c1450) ultimately after ancient Greek ἰδιώτης in its specific sense ‘ignorant, layman’ (so in Acts 4:13, the passage translated in quot. c1384).]
c1384
Forsoth thei seynge the stedfastnesse of Petre and John, founden that thei weren men with oute lettris, and idiotis [a1425 L.V. men vnlettrid, and lewid men; Latin homines..sine litteris et idiotæ], wondriden.
Bible (Wycliffite, early version) (Douce MS. 369(2)) (1850) Deeds iv. 13
…
c1450
Ryght as be twelue ydiotes, sent Austyn seyth—he meneth the apostellis, for thei not lerned were—Thurgh-ovte þe world was sowen ovr feyth.
J. Capgrave, Life of St. Katherine (Arundel MS. 396) (1893) i. l. 288 (Middle English Dictionary)
…
.......
etymology
< (i) Anglo-Norman ideot, ideote, idyot, ydeot, Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French idiote, ydiote, Anglo-Norman and Middle French idiot, ydiot, ydeote (French idiot) (noun) uneducated, ignorant person (1164), stupid person, mentally impaired person (c1374), (adjective) ignorant, uneducated (c1224), foolish, stupid, incapable of reasoning (c1300), (of behaviour, appearance, etc., of a person) characteristic of an idiot or idiocy (1612),
and its etymons (ii) classical Latin idiōta (in post-classical Latin also ideota, ydeota, ydiota, etc.) ordinary person, layman, amateur, private individual, in post-classical Latin also recent convert (Vulgate), ignorant, uneducated person (early 3rd cent. in Tertullian), professional fool or jester (12th cent. in a British source), stupid person, mentally impaired person (from 13th cent. in British sources),
and (iii) ancient Greek ἰδιώτης private person, person without professional knowledge, layman, ignorant, ill-informed person, in Hellenistic Greek also common man, plebeian < ἴδιος private, own, peculiar (see idio- comb. form) + ‑ώτης ‑ote suffix.
Compare Catalan idiota (15th cent.), Spanish idiota (a1450; early 14th cent. as ydiota), Portuguese idiota (first half of the 16th cent.; 15th cent. as yndiota), Italian idiota (a1306 in sense ‘uneducated person’, a1388 in sense ‘stupid person’). The Latin word was also borrowed into other Germanic languages; compare e.g. Middle Dutch ydioot not fully developed person (c1330; Dutch idioot stupid person (1562 as †idioet)), Middle Low German īdeōt, īdiōt, German Idiot (early 16th cent. in sense ‘uneducated, ignorant person’, 18th cent. in sense ‘bungler’, 19th cent. in sense ‘stupid person, person with an intellectual disability’ (which is now the usual
Summary
Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from French. Partly a borrowing from Latin. Partly a borrowing from Greek.
Etymons: French idiot; Latin idiōta; Greek ἰδιώτης.
< (i) Anglo-Norman ideot, ideote, idyot, ydeot, Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French idiote, ydiote, Anglo-Norman and Middle French idiot, ydiot, ydeote (French idiot) (noun) uneducated, ignorant person (1164), stupid person, mentally impaired person (c1374), (adjective) ignorant, uneducated (c1224), foolish, stupid, incapable of reasoning (c1300), (of behaviour, appearance, etc., of a person) characteristic of an idiot or idiocy (1612),
and its etymons (ii) classical Latin idiōta (in post-classical Latin also ideota, ydeota, ydiota, etc.) ordinary person, layman, amateur, private individual, in post-classical Latin also recent convert (Vulgate), ignorant, uneducated person (early 3rd cent. in Tertullian), professional fool or jester (12th cent. in a British source), stupid person, mentally impaired person (from 13th cent. in British sources),
and (iii) ancient Greek ἰδιώτης private person, person without professional knowledge, layman, ignorant, ill-informed person, in Hellenistic Greek also common man, plebeian < ἴδιος private, own, peculiar (see idio- comb. form) + ‑ώτης ‑ote suffix.
Compare Catalan idiota (15th cent.), Spanish idiota (a1450; early 14th cent. as ydiota), Portuguese idiota (first half of the 16th cent.; 15th cent. as yndiota), Italian idiota (a1306 in sense ‘uneducated person’, a1388 in sense ‘stupid person’). The Latin word was also borrowed into other Germanic languages; compare e.g. Middle Dutch ydioot not fully developed person (c1330; Dutch idioot stupid person (1562 as †idioet)), Middle Low German īdeōt, īdiōt, German Idiot (early 16th cent. in sense ‘uneducated, ignorant person’, 18th cent. in sense ‘bungler’, 19th cent. in sense ‘stupid person, person with an intellectual disability’ (which is now the usual sense, and is probably after English)), Swedish idiot (early 17th cent.).
Compare idiota n., a later independent borrowing of the Latin noun.
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Statistics: Posted by StephenGoranson — Tue Jan 16, 2024 3:45 pm