Definition of "imbecile" in English

noun

1. (obsolete) A person with limited mental capacity who can perform tasks and think only like a young child, in medical circles meaning a person who lacks the capacity to develop beyond the mental age of a normal five- to seven-year-old child.

2. (derogatory) A fool, an idiot.

adjective

1. (dated) Destitute of strength, whether of body or mind; feeble; impotent; especially, mentally weak.

   • hospitals for the imbecile and insane