[ˈkrɛt(ɪ)n], (Noun)

Definitions:
- a stupid person

- a person whose mental and physical development has been impaired by a deficiency of thyroid hormone in fetal or early life


Phrases:

Origin:
late 18th century: from French crétin, from Swiss French crestin ‘Christian’ (from Latin Christianus), here used to mean ‘human being’, apparently as a reminder that, though deformed, such people were human and not beasts