Etymology dictionary. 2014.
imbécile — [ ɛ̃besil ] adj. et n. • 1496; lat. imbecillus I ♦ Adj. 1 ♦ Vx Faible, débile. « L homme, imbécile ver de terre » (Pascal). 2 ♦ Méd. Qui est atteint d imbécillité. ⇒ arriéré. 3 ♦ (fin XVIIe) Cour … Encyclopédie Universelle
Imbecile — Im be*cile, v. t. To weaken; to make imbecile; as, to imbecile men s courage. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Imbecile — Im be*cile, a. [L. imbecillis, and imbecillus; of unknown origin: cf. F. imb[ e]cile.] Destitute of strength, whether of body or mind; feeble; impotent; esp., mentally wea; feeble minded; as, hospitals for the imbecile and insane. Syn: Weak;… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
imbecile — [adj] stupid, foolish asinine, backward, deranged, dim witted, dull, fatuous, feeble minded, idiotic, imbecilic, inane, ludicrous, moronic, simple, simple minded, slow, thick, witless; concept 402 Ant. brainy, intelligent, smart imbecile [n] very … New thesaurus
imbecile — [im′bəsil′ikim′bə sil, im′bəsəl; ] Brit [, im′bəsēl΄, im′bəsīl΄] n. [Fr imbécile < L imbecilis, imbecillus, feeble, weak, prob. < in , without + baculus, staff (see BACILLUS): hence “without support”] 1. Obs. a retarded person mentally… … English World dictionary
Imbecile — Im be*cile, n. 1. One destitute of strength; esp., one of feeble mind; sometimes used as a pejorative term. [1913 Webster] 2. (Psychology) A person with a degree of mental retardation between that of an idiot and a moron; in a former… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
imbecile — im·be·cile / im bə sil, ˌsīl/ n: a mentally retarded or deficient person; esp: a severely mentally retarded person used esp. formerly; see also idiot Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996 … Law dictionary
imbecile — idiot, moron, *fool, simpleton, natural … New Dictionary of Synonyms
imbecile — ► NOUN informal ▪ a stupid person. ► ADJECTIVE ▪ stupid. DERIVATIVES imbecilic adjective imbecility noun (pl. imbecilities) . ORIGIN originally in the sense «physically weak»: from Latin imbecillus without a supporting staff … English terms dictionary
imbécile — (in bé si l ) adj. 1° Faible d esprit et de corps, incapable. • N es tu pas, ô mon Dieu, mon seigneur souverain, Et moi ton serviteur pauvre, lâche, imbécile, Dont tout l effort est inutile, à moins qu avoir l appui de ta divine main ?, CORN … Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré
