1400-1500Frenchimbécile, from imbécile ‘weak, weak-minded’, from Latinimbecillus, probably from baculum ‘stick (for support)’
Examples
EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
All they want is an imbecile to follow them around-a pull toy.
And then, me playing an imbecile and looking like one, and she said I'd never be the same again.
Despite appearances to the contrary, he had to presume that Gordon was not a total imbecile.
If he hadn't adored her he would have treated her as a credulous imbecile.
It serves only to put their comparison with human imbeciles in proper perspective.
She'd been incarcerated for thirty years or so, poor imbecile.
The comparison with human imbeciles can serve to show animals in a more creditable light.
someone who is very stupid or behaves very stupidlySYN idiot: He looked at me as if I was a total imbecile.—imbecilic /ˌɪmbəˈsɪlɪk◂/ adjective—imbecility /ˌɪmbəˈsɪləti/ noun [countable, uncountable]