imbecility

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   The quality of being imbecile; weakness; feebleness, especially of mind.

   The police prosecutor hammered at him and the bench had a go at him, and they commanded from him such a madhouse particularity between the distinctions of looking and seeing that Bradly was reduced to imbecility, and so contradictious were his mutterings that he was openly suspected of trying to shield that wretched tramp, whom Bradly would have gladly seen sunk in the bottomless pit reserved for snoopers.

2. 2
   noun

   Something imbecilic; a stupid action, behaviour, etc.

   The Parnassian theory of art is mere imbecility.

3. 3
   noun

   a stupid mistake

4. 4
   noun

   retardation more severe than a moron but not as severe as an idiot

From Middle English inbecillite, from Middle French imbecilité, imbecillité, and its etymon Classical Latin imbēcillitās. By surface analysis, imbecile + -ity.

Topics

External links

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