imbécil

See also: imbecil and imbècil

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin imbēcillus, from in- (“no”) + baculum (“walking stick, staff”), in the sense of “weak, vulnerable”.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Spain) /imˈbeθil/ [ĩmˈbe.θil]
• IPA^(key): (Latin America, Philippines) /imˈbesil/ [ĩmˈbe.sil]
• Rhymes: -eθil
• Rhymes: -esil
• Syllabification: im‧bé‧cil

Adjective

imbécil m or f (masculine and feminine plural imbéciles)

1. (offensive) dumb, having the properties of an imbecile

Noun

imbécil m or f by sense (plural imbéciles)

1. (offensive) imbecile, moron, dimwit, nitwit, sucker, dolt, shithead, nincompoop
2. (offensive) asshole, prick, jerk, dickhead, twit, twerp, schmuck

Usage notes

• Although in some contexts zonzo, bobo, tonto, menso, culero, tarado, idiota, imbécil, estúpido and pendejo may be synonyms, in most contexts have a different degree, zonzo having the mildest connotation, increasing its intensity in that rough order, to estúpido and pendejo, which have the most offensive sense.

Related terms

• imbecilidad

 

Further reading

• “imbécil”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10