"I" Word Origins

ideal

Late Latin

From Late Latin idealis ("existing in idea"), built on Latin idea; related to "idea".

idealism

Origin · 1796

First recorded in English around 1796, built from "ideal" plus the suffix "-ism".

idealist

Latin

From French idéaliste, ultimately from Latin idea, "idea" — someone chasing the ideal rather than the real.

idealistic

Origin

From idealist + -ic.

ideally

Origin

From ideal + -ly.

idealogue

Origin

Compare French idéologue.

ideation

Latin

Formed from idea, ultimately from Greek idea meaning 'form' or 'notion', plus the noun ending -ation.

ideator

Origin

From verb ideate + -or.

ident

Middle English

From a later form of ithand, itself an alteration (due to assimilation to suffix -and) of Middle English ithen, from Old Norse iðinn (“assiduous, diligent”), from iðja, iðna (“to do, perform”), from ið (“a restless motion”), equivalent to ithe + -and and/or ithe + -en. Cognate with Icelandic iðinn (“diligent”), Norwegian idig (“busy”), Danish id (“pursuit, calling, business”). More at ithand.

identic

Origin

From French identique, from Medieval Latin identicus (“the same”), from Latin identi-, from idem (“the same”).

identical

Medieval Latin

From Latin idem, "the same," via Medieval Latin identicus.

identicality

Origin

From identical + -ity.

identifiable

Origin

From identify + -able.

identification

French

From French identification.

identify

Latin

From French identifier, built on Latin idem ("the same") and facere ("to make").

identity

Late Latin

From Late Latin identitas, built on Latin idem, "the same."

ideological

Origin

From ideology + -ical.

ideology

French · 1796

Coined in French in 1796 by Antoine Destutt de Tracy from idéo- + -logie. Napoleon later twisted the related word "ideologue" into an insult for his political opponents, which is partly why "ideology" can carry a negative tone today.

ides

Latin

From Latin idus, a calendar term of uncertain, possibly Etruscan, origin.

idevice

Origin

From i- + device.

IDGAF

English

An initialism of I don't give a fuck.

idiocentric

Origin

From idio- + -centric.

idiocity

Origin

From idiocy + -ity.

idiocy

Old French

From French idiotie, from Old French idiot.

idiom

Latin

From Greek idíōma, "peculiarity, particular phrasing," via Latin and French.

idiomatic

Origin

From Ancient Greek ἰδιωματικός (idiōmatikós, “related to an idiom”), from ἰδίωμα (idíōma, “idiom”).

idiosyncrasy

Greek

From Greek idios meaning 'own' or 'private' and synkrasis meaning 'mixture' or 'temperament'.

idiosyncratic

Origin

From idiosyncrasy + -ic. By surface analysis, idio- + syn- + -cratic.

idiot

Greek

From Greek idiotes, originally meaning an ordinary private citizen with no special skill or office, later narrowing to mean an ignorant or foolish person.

idiotacy

Origin

From idiot + -acy.

idiotic

Origin

From idiot + -ic.

idioticalness

Origin

From idiotical + -ness.

idioticity

Origin

From idiotic + -ity.

idioticness

Origin

From idiotic + -ness.

idioticy

Origin

From idiot + -i- + -cy.

idiotish

Origin

From idiot + -ish. Compare Dutch idioots (“idiotic”), German idiotisch (“idiotic”), Danish idiotisk (“idiotic”), Swedish idiotisk (“idiotic, stupid, insane”).

IDK

English

An initialism of the phrase I don't know.

idle

Old English

From Old English idel, meaning "empty" or "vain," related to Dutch and German words for "vain" or "meaningless."

idlehood

Origin

From idle + -hood, possibly an alteration of obsolete English idlehead (“idleness”), possibly from Middle English idelhed (“vanity”). Compare also Scots ydilheid (“idleness”), Dutch ijdelheid (“vanity, vainglory”), Middle Low German îdelheit (“idleness”), and German Eitelkeit (“vanity, conceit, vainness, idleness”).

idleness

Old English

From Old English idelnes, built on idle + -ness.

idler

Origin

From idle + -er.

idleship

Origin

From Middle English ydelschipe, equivalent to idle + -ship.

idly

Old English

From Old English idellice, built on idle + -ly.

IDM

English

In the messaging sense, an initialism of I don't mind; in the music sense, of intelligent dance music.

Ido

Origin

Borrowing from Ido Ido. Began as a pseudonym, probably directly from Esperanto ido (“offspring”).

idol

Greek

From Greek eidolon, "image" or "phantom," from eidos, "form" — the same root that gives us "idea."

idolatry

Greek

From Greek eidololatria, combining eidolon 'image, idol' and latreia 'worship', which passed into English through Latin and Old French.

idolize

Origin

From idol + -ize.