Part 14

Weenest thou make an idiot of our dame?

Chaucer.

Id"i*ot*cy (?), n. [Cf. Idiocy.] Idiocy. [R.]

Id"i*ot*ed (?), a. Rendered idiotic; befooled. [R.] Tennyson.

Id`i*o*ther"mic (?), a. [Idio- + thermic.] Self-heating; warmed, as the body of animal, by process going on within itself.

{ Id`i*ot"ic (?), Id`i*ot"ic*al (?), } a. [L. idioticus ignorant, Gr. &?;: cf. F. idiotique. See Idiot.] 1. Common; simple. [Obs.] Blackwall.

2. Pertaining to, or like, an idiot; characterized by idiocy; foolish; fatuous; as, an idiotic person, speech, laugh, or action.

Id`i*ot"ic*al*ly, adv. In an idiotic manner.

Id`i*ot"i*con (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. &?; belonging to a private man, private. See Idiot.] A dictionary of a peculiar dialect, or of the words and phrases peculiar to one part of a country; a glossary.

Id"i*ot*ish (?), a. Like an idiot; foolish.

Id"i*ot*ism (?), n. [F. idiotisme, L. idiotismus the way of fashion of a private person, the common or vulgar manner of speaking, Gr. &?;, fr. &?; to put into or use common language, fr. &?;. See Idiot.] 1. An idiom; a form, mode of expression, or signification, peculiar to a language.

Scholars sometimes give terminations and idiotisms, suitable to their native language, unto words newly invented.

M. Hale.

2. Lack of knowledge or mental capacity; idiocy; foolishness.

Worse than mere ignorance or idiotism.

Shaftesbury.

The running that adventure is the greatist idiotism.

Hammond.

Id"i*ot*ize (?), v. i. To become stupid. [R.]

Id"i*ot*ry (?), n. Idiocy. [R.] Bp. Warburton.

I"dle (?), a. [Compar. Idler (?); superl. Idlest.] [OE. idel, AS. del vain, empty, useless; akin to OS. dal, D. ijdel, OHG. tal vain, empty, mere, G. eitel, Dan. & Sw. idel mere, pure, and prob. to Gr. &?; clear, pure, &?; to burn. Cf. Ether.] 1. Of no account; useless; vain; trifling; unprofitable; thoughtless; silly; barren. "Deserts idle." Shak.

Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

Matt. xii. 36.

Down their idle weapons dropped.

Milton.

This idle story became important.

Macaulay.

2. Not called into active service; not turned to appropriate use; unemployed; as, idle hours.