imbecile
English
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imbecile
- /ɪmbəˈsiːl/ UK
- /ˈɪmbəsɪl/ US
- /ˈɪmbəsəl/ US
- /ɪmˈbɛsɪl/ obsolete
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Middle French imbécile, from Latin imbēcillus (“weak, feeble”), literally “without a staff”.
noun imbeciles
- A person with limited mental capacity who can perform tasks and think only like a young child, in medical circles meaning a person who lacks the capacity to develop beyond the mental age of a normal five- to seven-year-old child. It is an offence for a man to have unlawful sexual intercourse with a woman whom he knows to be an idiot or imbecile.
- A fool, an idiot. VLADIMIR: Because he wouldn't save them. / ESTRAGON: From hell? / VLADIMIR: Imbecile! From death.
adjective more imbecile · most imbecile
- Destitute of strength, whether of body or mind; feeble; impotent; especially, mentally weak. hospitals for the imbecile and insane
Translations
Every language
noun person with limited mental capacity
| Español | imbécil |
|---|---|
| Português | imbecil |
| Français | imbécile |
| Deutsch | geistig Zurückgebliebener, geistig Behinderter, Schwachsinniger |
| Italiano | tarato |
| Ελληνικά | ηλίθιος ilíthios |
| Română | imbecil |
| Русский | имбеци́л imbecíl, слабоу́мный slaboúmnyj |
| Tiếng Việt | người khờ dại |
Talk about this word "imbecile." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/imbecile. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. imbecile. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/imbecile "imbecile." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/imbecile.Cite this
@misc{imbecile_2026,
title = {imbecile},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/imbecile},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
