# What's the Greek word for "stupid"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 12, 2007, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greek-word-for-stupid/395589 "2007-03-12T13:36:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2007, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greek-word-for-stupid/395589/1 "2007-03-12T13:36:47Z")
What is the Greek word for “stupid”? What is its spelling in Greek letters? Beggars shouldn’t be choosers, but - if you can, please write out the English names of the letters, like “alpha beta”, so there’s no chance font foibles will corrupt your answer. Is there a word that more specifically suggests what I’d call “Luddite”, expressing a foolish and stubborn refusal to adopt modern viewpoints to a degree that is destructive? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![xiix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/d6d6ee/32.png) [@xiix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xiix)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2007, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greek-word-for-stupid/395589/2 "2007-03-12T13:38:16Z")
The oldest official greek term for “stupid” is Turk. [cite](http://www.answers.com/topic/greco-turkish-relations) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2007, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greek-word-for-stupid/395589/3 "2007-03-12T13:41:45Z")
FWIW, I seem to remember that the original Greek for “idiot” meant “one who takes no role in governance.” ---
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2007, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greek-word-for-stupid/395589/4 "2007-03-12T15:05:25Z")
I think the most common word is amathês (alpha mu alpha theta eta sigma) - literally, unlearned. I can’t think of a word to describe the more specific kind of stupidity you’re looking for, especially since progress wasn’t really a virtue in Greece. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2007, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greek-word-for-stupid/395589/5 "2007-03-12T15:11:09Z")
No “W” in the Greek alphabet, unfortunately. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2007, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greek-word-for-stupid/395589/6 "2007-03-12T15:24:28Z")
I tell ya, those Greeks is pretty smart… ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2007, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greek-word-for-stupid/395589/7 "2007-03-12T15:41:20Z")
[Cyprus.net](http://Cyprus.net)’s English-Classic Greek lexicon gives _asynetos_ as the proper translation of stupid. (Middle vowels are upsilon and epsilon.) Not asked, but the Latin word is _stultus_. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2007, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greek-word-for-stupid/395589/8 "2007-03-12T15:53:37Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] I tell ya, those Greeks is pretty smart… [/QUOTE] They’re well-reared. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2007, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greek-word-for-stupid/395589/9 "2007-03-12T16:04:00Z")
Any minute now, someone’s gonna make a crowbar joke… ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2007, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greek-word-for-stupid/395589/10 "2007-03-12T19:27:19Z")
Hmm… how about μоρоς (_moros_), from which we get moron? That’s Mu, Omicron, Rho, Omicron, Sigma. That’s Classical Attic Greek, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2007, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greek-word-for-stupid/395589/11 "2007-03-12T19:44:18Z")
_Aphron_ (alpha phi rho omega nu) is an adjective meaning “senseless, brainless, stupid.” Like **Quartz** says, _Moros_ is “foolish” or “fool.” (Hey, **Quartz** , how did you code that Greek font?) ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2007, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greek-word-for-stupid/395589/12 "2007-03-12T19:54:22Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] _Aphron_ (alpha phi rho omega nu) is an adjective meaning “senseless, brainless, stupid.” Like **Quartz** says, _Moros_ is “foolish” or “fool.” (Hey, **Quartz** , how did you code that Greek font?) [/QUOTE] (Crooning) Put them all together they spell Dubya. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2007, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greek-word-for-stupid/395589/13 "2007-03-12T20:32:11Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] _Aphron_ (alpha phi rho omega nu) is an adjective meaning “senseless, brainless, stupid.” [/quote] That’d be from ‘α’ for ‘not’ and ‘φρων’ for ‘brain’, IIRC. Actually, isn’t that simply the stem of the adjective, which would be ‘αφρωνος’ for the nominative singular? Or am I mixing modern and classical Greek? > [@](#): > > (Hey, **Quartz** , how did you code that Greek font?) Character Map. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2007, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greek-word-for-stupid/395589/14 "2007-03-12T21:03:04Z")
[QUOTE=Quartz] That’d be from ‘α’ for ‘not’ and ‘φρων’ for ‘brain’, IIRC. [/quote] _a_ “without” and _phren_ (with an eta) “mind, sense, judgement.” > [@](#): > > Actually, isn’t that simply the stem of the adjective, which would be ‘αφρωνος’ for the nominative singular? Or am I mixing modern and classical Greek? I don’t know Modern Greek but _aphron_ just declines as is (_aphron, aphrou_, etc.) I think _phren_ declines as feminine, though (_phren, phrene_). ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2007, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greek-word-for-stupid/395589/15 "2007-03-12T21:30:34Z")
Pledge? ---
**Author:** ![Polerius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d78d45/32.png) [@Polerius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polerius)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2007, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greek-word-for-stupid/395589/16 "2007-03-12T22:08:27Z")
[QUOTE=Napier] What is the Greek word for “stupid”? What is its spelling in Greek letters? Beggars shouldn’t be choosers, but - if you can, please write out the English names of the letters, like “alpha beta”, so there’s no chance font foibles will corrupt your answer. [/QUOTE] Stupid: ηλίθιος (eta, lambda, iota, theta, iota, omicron, sigma) or βλάκας (beta, lambda, alpha, kappa, alpha, sigma) > [@](#): > > Is there a word that more specifically suggests what I’d call “Luddite”, expressing a foolish and stubborn refusal to adopt modern viewpoints to a degree that is destructive? Luddite: λουδιστής Source: [Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos](http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr) I didn’t know λουδιστής was a term used in Greek. But I googled the term and found discussions in Greek using it in the sense of Luddite, so I guess people do use it. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greek-word-for-stupid/395589/17 "2007-03-13T13:31:48Z")
I dunno… it’s Greek to me! :: D&R :: ---
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greek-word-for-stupid/395589/18 "2007-03-13T14:52:30Z")
In ancient Greek, it’s aphrwn, aphronos (gen.). ---
**Author:** ![Hung\_Mung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greek-word-for-stupid/395589/19 "2007-03-13T15:40:07Z")
[QUOTE=Kevbo] Pledge? [/QUOTE] Nice. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greek-word-for-stupid/395589/20 "2007-03-13T20:26:17Z")
Kevbo, excellent question. No, the situation is that I use Greek letters in mathematical physics and have a special need to represent what I think is a stupidly defined parameter. Folks, I now have a variety of excellent tools in my box - thanks! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greek-word-for-stupid/395589.md?page=2)