2007-12-13 06:00:36 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
If you have an IQ equal to, or lower than that of a dead plant, then you pretty much could be considered an "idiot."
2007-12-13 06:06:17 · answer #1 · answered by Easy B Me II 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The word derives from Latin, which originally meant 'yourself' and was used to mean a private individual or sometimes insultingly as someone who was ignorant (they were completely 'themselves'). When it moved into French it retained only the insulting meaning and by the time it got to English (in the 1300's) it meant someone who was INCAPABLE of normal reasoning. (link 1)
After the development of IQ tests in the last century, it became the official title for one of the tiers of results: a person with an IQ score of 20 or lower was 'officially' an idiot. (link 2)
Of course, along with all the words used to officially designate low IQ score ('imbecile' was 21-49, and 'moron' was 50-69), it is used as an insult even now to anyone whose intelligence or reasoning you wish to question or slur. Once this started happening, official sources stopped using all such terms in preference for descriptive but hopefully non-negative ones instead.
2007-12-13 06:37:53 · answer #2 · answered by Doctor Why 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Person with an IQ lower than 20.
2007-12-13 06:35:15 · answer #3 · answered by CanadianFundamentalist 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Adult with mind of a baby. Next is imbecile, adult with IQ of 6 or 8 year old. Then is moron, adult with 10 or 12 year old IQ.
2007-12-13 06:29:39 · answer #4 · answered by miyuki & kyojin 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"idio" in Latin (or Greek?) means "do not know,"
so idiot is refering someone who lacks knowledge.
Unfortunately, our society has bias on people who are not sharp and smart or who are not knowledgeble or skillful, so the world idiot became disgracing word...
2007-12-13 06:30:28 · answer #5 · answered by The Catalyst 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ignorance .
2007-12-13 06:40:00 · answer #6 · answered by missmayzie 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋