noun
imbecility
An outdated and offensive term for intellectual disability.
The old medical record uses imbecility as a diagnostic label.
Etymology
The Latin adjective means weak. Historical classification narrowed that broad judgment into a label for intellectual disability; the term is now obsolete and offensive.
More examples
- Doctors once used imbecility to classify certain intellectual disabilities.
- The museum explains why imbecility is now considered an offensive medical term.
- Her ancestor's diagnosis of imbecility reflects the terminology of that era.
Forms
imbecility
Similar words
- intellectual disability
- The current, respectful term rather than an obsolete diagnostic label.