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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

cretin en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • (US) audio
  • /ˈkɹɛtɪn/ (UK)
  • /ˈkɹɛtɪn/ (US)
  • /ˈkɹiːtɪn/ (US)
  • (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From French crétin (“cretin, idiot”), likely from crestin, an Alpine dialectal form of chrétien, from Latin christiānus in the lost sense of “anyone in Christendom”, often with a sense of “poor fellow”. Doublet of Christian.

Meanings

  1. (archaic) A person who fails to develop mentally and physically due to a congenital hypothyroidism.
  2. (broadly, derogatory) An idiot.
    • When I challenged the symbolism, tried to make the professor consider the book as a piece of realism, he regarded me as if I were an absolute cretin. He got very supercilious and condescending […] 1969, Irving Wallace, The Seven Minutes:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
cretins Number=Plur lexicographic

Deriveds

cretinism · cretinic · cretinous · cretinoid · cretinize

Translations (50)

mk крете́н (pejorative: an idiot) · ro cretină (person who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism) · es cretina (pejorative: an idiot) · ca cretina (person who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism) · el κρετίνος (pejorative: an idiot) · hu kretén (pejorative: an idiot) · ru крети́н (person who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism) · be крэты́н (pejorative: an idiot) · cs kretén (person who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism) · sh krètēn (person who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism) · be крэці́н (pejorative: an idiot) · ga creitín (person who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism) · ru крети́н (pejorative: an idiot) · sh крѐте̄н (pejorative: an idiot) · lt kretinas (person who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism) · es cretino (pejorative: an idiot) · el ηλίθιος (pejorative: an idiot) · pt cretino (pejorative: an idiot) · uk крети́нка (pejorative: an idiot) · sk kritin (pejorative: an idiot) · fi kretiini (person who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism) · lt kretinas (pejorative: an idiot) · sh krètēn (pejorative: an idiot) · pl kretynka (pejorative: an idiot) · hu kretén (person who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism) · fi ääliö (pejorative: an idiot) · de Kretin (person who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism) · pl kretyn (person who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism) · it cretino (pejorative: an idiot) · ka კრეტინი (pejorative: an idiot) · sh крѐте̄н (person who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism) · pt cretino (person who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism) · ru крети́нка (pejorative: an idiot) · fr crétin (pejorative: an idiot) · ro cretină (pejorative: an idiot) · bg крете́н (pejorative: an idiot) · io kretinacho (pejorative: an idiot) · nl cretin (person who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism) · uk крети́н (person who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism) · ca cretí (person who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism) · uk крети́н (pejorative: an idiot) · ro cretin (pejorative: an idiot) · tr kreten (person who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism) · io kretino (person who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism) · fr crétin (person who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism) · el κρετίνος (person who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism) · ca cretí (pejorative: an idiot) · de Kretin (pejorative: an idiot) · pl kretyn (pejorative: an idiot) · ro cretin (person who fails to develop due to congenital hypothyroidism)