MORON
What does "MORON" mean?
An insulting term for a foolish or stupid person.
Meanings
- A stupid or foolish person (now purely an insult). Only a moron would text while crossing a busy street. informal
- A former, now-obsolete clinical classification for a degree of intellectual disability. Early-20th-century psychologists used 'moron' as a technical, now-discredited diagnostic label. archaic
Did you know?
- 'Moron' was a deliberate scientific coinage: psychologist Henry H. Goddard introduced it in 1910 as a clinical label from Greek 'moros' (foolish) - it leaked into the playground as an insult and never went back.
Word origin
Coined in 1910 by psychologist Henry H. Goddard from Greek 'moron', the neuter of 'moros', meaning 'dull, foolish', as a clinical term that quickly slid into common insult.
Remember it
MORON contains 'OR ON' - a switch left in the wrong position, like the brain it mocks.
A little poem
Henry Goddard, in 1910,
coined a word for foolish men;
the clinic dropped it like a stone,
but the schoolyard kept the moron.
clerihew
What it teaches
A word invented to sound precise can curdle into a slur the moment it leaves the lab.
Quick facts
What does MORON mean?
An insulting term for a foolish or stupid person.
Is MORON a valid word?
Yes — MORON is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is MORON?
MORON has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does MORON come from?
Coined in 1910 by psychologist Henry H. Goddard from Greek 'moron', the neuter of 'moros', meaning 'dull, foolish', as a clinical term that quickly slid into common insult.
What can MORON teach us?
A word invented to sound precise can curdle into a slur the moment it leaves the lab.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.