/ ˈkretɪn; NAmE ˈkriːtn/ noun
( informal , offensive ) a very stupid person :
Why did you do that, you cretin?
► cret·in·ous / ˈkretɪnəs; NAmE ˈkriːtnəs/ adjective
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WORD ORIGIN
late 18th cent.: from French crétin , from Swiss French crestin Christian (from Latin Christianus ), here used to mean human being , apparently as a reminder that, though deformed, cretins were human and not beasts.