n. [ F. idiot, L. idiota an uneducated, ignorant, ill-informed person, Gr. 'idiw`ths, also and orig., a private person, not holding public office, fr. 'i`dios proper, peculiar. See Idiom. ] 1. A man in private station, as distinguished from one holding a public office. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

St. Austin affirmed that the plain places of Scripture are sufficient to all laics, and all idiots or private persons. Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An unlearned, ignorant, or simple person, as distinguished from the educated; an ignoramus. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Christ was received of idiots, of the vulgar people, and of the simpler sort, while he was rejected, despised, and persecuted even to death by the high priests, lawyers, scribes, doctors, and rabbis. C. Blount. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A human being destitute of the ordinary intellectual powers, whether congenital, developmental, or accidental; commonly, a person without understanding from birth; a natural fool. In a former classification of mentally retarded people, idiot designated a person whose adult level of intelligence was equivalent to that of a three-year old or younger; this corresponded with an I.Q. level of approximately 25 or less. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

Life . . . is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A fool; a simpleton; -- a term of reproach. [ 1913 Webster ]

Weenest thou make an idiot of our dame? Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. Idiocy. ] Idiocy. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Rendered idiotic; befooled. [ R. ] Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Idio- + thermic. ] Self-heating; warmed, as the body of animal, by process going on within itself.

{ } a. [ L. idioticus ignorant, Gr. &unr_;: cf. F. idiotique. See Idiot. ] 1. Common; simple. [ Obs. ] Blackwall. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Pertaining to, or like, an idiot; characterized by idiocy; foolish; fatuous; as, an idiotic person, speech, laugh, or action. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In an idiotic manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ NL., fr. Gr. &unr_; belonging to a private man, private. See Idiot. ] A dictionary of a peculiar dialect, or of the words and phrases peculiar to one part of a country; a glossary. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Like an idiot; foolish. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. idiotisme, L. idiotismus the way of fashion of a private person, the common or vulgar manner of speaking, Gr. &unr_;, fr. &unr_; to put into or use common language, fr. &unr_;. See Idiot. ] 1. An idiom; a form, mode of expression, or signification, peculiar to a language. [ 1913 Webster ]

Scholars sometimes give terminations and idiotisms, suitable to their native language, unto words newly invented. M. Hale. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Lack of knowledge or mental capacity; idiocy; foolishness. [ 1913 Webster ]

Worse than mere ignorance or idiotism. Shaftesbury. [ 1913 Webster ]

The running that adventure is the greatist idiotism. Hammond. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To become stupid. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]