cretin

noun (cretin, cretins)

«cretin» in the English dictionary: everyday and Early Modern English — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

Everyday

(old use) A person born with a serious illness that stops the body and mind growing properly. tree →
(rude) A foolish or stupid person; now a hurtful insult. tree →

In the lessons

in old tales, a word for a stupid or pitiful person; today it is offensive, so do not use it

Examples

The poor cretin crept away to his bed. tree →
Don't call people cretins; it is cruel. tree →

Note

nothing for maths

Early Modern English

Meaning

A person born with a serious illness that stops the body and mind growing properly. tree →

Then and now

Today this word is an insult, and doctors use other words. In these sentences it is the old medical term for a person with that illness.

Examples

The poor cretin crept away to his bed, and nothing was seen of him during the whole of the following day. (Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen) tree →
Valais was then, as he expressed it, only a closed-up bag, quite full of sick people, miserable cretins; but the French soldiers came, and they were capital doctors, they soon killed the disease and the sick people, too. (Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen) tree →

Note

Today: person with a disability.

On Mova

Trees and pragmatics of «cretin» in the school dictionary: every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
«cretin» in the school dictionary on Mova free.
Trees and pragmatics of «cretin» in the Early Modern English dictionary: every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
«cretin» in the Early Modern English dictionary on Mova free.

This page in Markdown → https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/cretin/