Moron
/ˈmɔːrɒn/noun
A stupid or foolish person.
Did you know?The word entered English through psychology, where Greek mōrós meant “dull” or “foolish,” and the suffix -on was used to form a noun for a person with low mental age.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
mōrós
“dull, foolish, stupid”
Late 19th Century
English
moron
“a term coined in psychology for an adult with a mental age of about 8 to 12 years”
Early 20th Century
English
moron
“a psychiatric classification in the now-obsolete intelligence testing system”
Modern English
English
moron
“an offensive insult meaning a stupid person”