IDIOTISM

Etymology 1

Noun

idiotism (countable and uncountable, plural idiotisms)

(now, chiefly, historical) Very severe mental retardation.

A foolish utterance.

Etymology 2

Noun

idiotism (plural idiotisms)

Idiom.

An overly literal translation of an idiom.

Source: Wiktionary


Id"i*ot*ism, n. Etym: [F. idiotisme, L. idiotismus the way of fashion of a private person, the common or vulgar manner of speaking, Gr. Idiot.]

1. An idiom; a form, mode of expression, or signification, peculiar to a language. Scholars sometimes give terminations and idiotisms, suitable to their native language, unto words newly invented. M. Hale.

2. Lack of knowledge or mental capacity; idiocy; foolishness. Worse than mere ignorance or idiotism. Shaftesbury. The running that adventure is the greatist idiotism. Hammond.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

26 June 2025

DISPIRITEDLY

(adverb) in a dispirited manner without hope; “the first Mozartian opera to be subjected to this curious treatment ran dispiritedly for five performances”


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Coffee Trivia

Espresso is both a coffee beverage and a brewing method that originated in Italy. When making an espresso, a small amount of nearly boiling water under pressure forces through finely-ground coffee beans. It has more caffeine per unit volume than most coffee beverages. Its smaller serving size will take three shots to equal a mug of standard brewed coffee.

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