/id"ee euht/ , n.
1. an utterly foolish or senseless person.
2. Psychol. a person of the lowest order in a former classification of mental retardation, having a mental age of less than three years old and an intelligence quotient under 25.
[ 1250-1300; ME idiota idiótes private person, layman, person lacking skill or expertise, equiv. to idio- (lengthened var. of idio- IDIO-, perh. by analogy with stratiotes professional soldier, deriv. of stratiá army) + -tes agent n. suffix ]
Syn. 1. fool, half-wit; imbecile; dolt, dunce, numskull.