3/30/23, 4:28 AM idea - Wiktionary

idea
See also: ideá, -idea and idea-

Contents
English
Etymology
Pronunciation
Noun
Synonyms
Derived terms
Related terms
Collocations
Descendants
Translations
References
Further reading
Anagrams
Asturian
Etymology
Noun
Related terms
Catalan
Alternative forms
Etymology
Pronunciation
Noun
Usage notes
Related terms
Further reading
Chinese
Etymology
Pronunciation
Noun
References

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Czech
Etymology
Pronunciation
Noun
Related terms
Further reading
Finnish
Etymology
Pronunciation
Noun
Declension
Synonyms
Galician
Etymology
Noun
Related terms
Hungarian
Etymology
Pronunciation
Noun
Declension
References
Further reading
Interlingua
Noun
Italian
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
Noun
Related terms
Etymology 2
Verb
Further reading
Anagrams
Latin
Etymology
Pronunciation
Noun
Declension
Descendants
References

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Malay
Etymology
Noun
Alternative forms
Maltese
Etymology
Pronunciation
Noun
Northern Sami
Etymology
Pronunciation
Noun
Inflection
Further reading
Polish
Etymology
Pronunciation
Noun
Declension
Derived terms
Further reading
Romanian
Etymology
Verb
Conjugation
Slovak
Etymology
Pronunciation
Noun
Declension
Related terms
Further reading
Spanish
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
Noun
Derived terms
Related terms
Etymology 2
Verb
Further reading

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Tagalog
Alternative forms
Etymology
Pronunciation
Noun
Derived terms
Related terms

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin idea ‎(“a (Platonic) idea; archetype”‎), from Ancient Greek ἰδέα ‎(idéa, “notion,
pattern”‎), from εἴδω ‎(eídō, “I see”‎), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- ‎(“to know; see”‎).
Cognate with French idée. Doublet of idée. Related to idol, idolum and eidolon.

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /aɪˈdɪə/

(General American) IPA(key): /aɪˈdi.ə/
(US, intrusive r) IPA(key): /aɪˈdɪɹ/
Audio (US) 0:01

(New Zealand) IPA(key): /ɑeˈdiə̯ /

Rhymes: -ɪə, -iːə
(Southern American English, obsolete) IPA(key): /aɪˈdiː/, /ˈaɪdi/[1]
Hyphenation: i‧dea,

i‧de‧a

Noun

idea (plural ideas or (rare) ideæ)

1. (philosophy) An abstract archetype of a given thing, compared to which real-life examples are
seen as imperfect approximations; pure essence, as opposed to actual examples. [from 14th c.]
[quotations ▼]
2. (obsolete) The conception of someone or something as representing a perfect example; an ideal.
[16th–19th c.]
3. (obsolete) The form or shape of something; a quintessential aspect or characteristic. [16th–18th c.]
[quotations ▼]

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4. An image of an object that is formed in the mind or recalled by the memory. [from 16th c.]

The mere idea of you is enough to excite me.

5. More generally, any result of mental activity; a thought, a notion; a way of thinking. [from 17th c.]
[quotations ▼]
6. A conception in the mind of something to be done; a plan for doing something, an intention. [from
17th c.]

I have an idea of how we might escape.

7. A purposeful aim or goal; intent [quotations ▼]

Yeah, that's the idea.

8. A vague or fanciful notion; a feeling or hunch; an impression. [from 17th c.]

He had the wild idea that if he leant forward a little, he might be able to touch the mountain-
top.

9. (music) A musical theme or melodic subject. [from 18th c.]

Synonyms
(mental transcript, image, or picture): image

Derived terms
absolute idea idea future life-idea received idea
abstract idea idea hamster memory-idea seem like a good idea
business idea idea man mother-idea at the time
sense-idea
[ show more ▼ ] 

Related terms
ideal idealize ideology
idealism ideate in idea
idealist ideatum

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[ show more ▼ ] 

Collocations
Collocations [show ▼]

Descendants

→ Japanese: アイディア ‎(aidia‎), アイデア ‎(aidea‎)

Translations
±philosophy: abstract archetype of a given thing, compared to which real-life [show ▼]
examples are seen as imperfect
±(obsolete in English) the conception of someone or something as representing an [show ▼]
ideal
±(obsolete in English) the form or shape of something; a quintessential aspect or [show ▼]
characteristic
±an image of an object that is formed in the mind or recalled by the memory [show ▼]

±any result of mental activity; a thought, a notion; a way of thinking [show ▼]

±a conception in the mind of something to be done; a plan for doing something, an [show ▼]
intention
±a vague or fanciful notion; a feeling or hunch; an impression [show ▼]

±a musical theme or melodic subject [show ▼]

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation
tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked [show ▼]

References
1. ^ Stanley, Oma (1937), “II. Vowel Sounds in Unstressed and Partially Stressed Syllables”, in The
Speech of East Texas (American Speech: Reprints and Monographs; 2), New York: Columbia
University Press, →DOI (https://doi.org/10.7312%2Fstan90028), →ISBN, § I.4, page 40.

Further reading
idea (https://www.websters1913.com/words/Idea) in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G.
& C. Merriam, 1913
idea (http://triggs.djvu.org/century-dictionary.com/nph-chw.php?query=idea&type=dicts) in The
Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
idea (https://www.onelook.com/?w=idea&ls=a) at OneLook Dictionary Search
“idea (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/idea)”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

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“idea (https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=idea)”, in The American Heritage

Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016,
→ISBN.
“idea (https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/idea)”, in Collins English Dictionary.

Anagrams
Adie, aide, daie

Asturian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin idea, from Ancient Greek ἰδέα ‎(idéa, “notion, pattern”‎), from εἴδω ‎(eídō, “I
see”‎).

Noun

idea f (plural idees)

1. idea

Related terms
ideal

Catalan

Alternative forms
ideia

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin idea, from Ancient Greek.

Pronunciation

(Balearic, Central) IPA(key): /iˈdɛ.ə/

(Valencian) IPA(key): /iˈdɛ.a/

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Audio 0:02

Noun

idea f (plural idees)

1. idea (clarification of this definition is needed)

Usage notes

Often pronounced as ideia.

Related terms
ideal
idear

Further reading
“idea” (https://dlc.iec.cat/Results?EntradaText=idea&AllInfoMorf=False&OperEntrada=0&OperDef
=0&OperEx=0&OperSubEntrada=0&OperAreaTematica=0&InfoMorfType=0&OperCatGram=Fals
e&AccentSen=False&CurrentPage=0&refineSearch=0) in Diccionari de la llengua catalana,
segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
“idea (https://www.diccionari.cat/cerca/gran-diccionari-de-la-llengua-catalana?search_api_fulltext_
cust=idea)”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2023
“idea” (https://www.avl.gva.es/lexicval/xhtml/dnv.xhtml?paraula=idea) in Diccionari normatiu
valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
“idea” (https://dcvb.iec.cat/results.asp?Word=idea) in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni
Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Chinese

Etymology

From English idea.

Pronunciation
[more ▼]
Cantonese (Jyutping): aai6 di1 aa4

Noun

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idea

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) idea; plan

References
English Loanwords in Hong Kong Cantonese (https://chaaklau.github.io/elw/)

Czech

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin idea, from Ancient Greek ἰδέα ‎(idéa‎), from εἴδω ‎(eídō‎).

Pronunciation

IPA(key): [ˈɪdɛa]
Audio 0:02

Noun

idea f

1. idea (that which exists in the mind as the result of mental activity)

Related terms
ideace idealizovaný ideologický
idealismus idealizovat ideologie
idealista ideál ideový
[ show more ▼ ] 

Further reading
idea (https://bara.ujc.cas.cz/psjc/search.php?heslo=idea&zobraz_ps=ps&zobraz_cards=cards&po
cet_karet=50) in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
idea (https://ssjc.ujc.cas.cz/search.php?heslo=idea&hsubstr=no) in Slovník spisovného jazyka
českého, 1960–1971, 1989

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idea (https://prirucka.ujc.cas.cz/en/?slovo=idea) in Internetová jazyková příručka

Finnish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin idea, from Ancient Greek ἰδέα ‎(idéa, “notion, pattern”‎).

Pronunciation

IPA(key): /ˈideɑ/, [ˈide̞ ɑ]

Rhymes: -ideɑ
Syllabification(key): i‧de‧a

Noun

idea

1. idea

Declension
Inflection of idea (Kotus type 12/kulkija, no gradation) [more ▼]
nominative idea ideat
genitive idean ideoiden
ideoitten
partitive ideaa ideoita
illative ideaan ideoihin
Possessive forms of idea (type kulkija) [more ▼]

Synonyms
ajatus

Galician

Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin idea, from Ancient Greek ἰδέα ‎(idéa, “notion, pattern”‎), from εἴδω ‎(eídō, “I
see”‎).

Noun

idea f (plural ideas)

1. idea

Related terms
ideal

Hungarian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin idea, from Ancient Greek ἰδέα ‎(idéa, “notion, pattern”‎). [1]

Pronunciation

IPA(key): [ˈidɛɒ]
Hyphenation: idea
Rhymes: -ɒ

Noun

idea (plural ideák)

1. (philosophy or formal) idea [synonyms ▲]

Synonyms: eszme, ötlet, gondolat

Declension
Inflection (stem in long/high vowel, back harmony) [more ▼]

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Possessive forms of idea [more ▼]

References
1. ^ Tótfalusi, István. Idegenszó-tár: Idegen szavak értelmező és etimológiai szótára (https://dtk.tank
onyvtar.hu/bitstream/handle/123456789/8867/Idegenszo-tar.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y) (’A
Storehouse of Foreign Words: an explanatory and etymological dictionary of foreign words’).
Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó, 2005. →ISBN

Further reading
idea (https://www.arcanum.com/hu/online-kiadvanyok/Lexikonok-a-magyar-nyelv-ertelmezo-szota
ra-1BE8B/idea-318AD) in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára
(‘The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai
Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN

Interlingua

Noun

idea (plural ideas)

1. idea

Italian

Pronunciation

IPA(key): /iˈdɛ.a/
Rhymes: -ɛa
Syllabification: i‧dè‧a

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin idea, from Ancient Greek ἰδέα ‎(idéa, “notion, pattern”‎), from εἴδω ‎(eídō, “I
see”‎).

Noun

idea f (plural idee)

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1. idea

buon'idea ― good idea

Related terms
ideale
ideare
ideazione
ideo-

Etymology 2

Verb

idea

1. inflection of ideare:
1. third-person singular present indicative
2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading
idea (https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/idea) in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto
dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Anagrams
aedi

Latin

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἰδέα ‎(idéa, “notion, pattern”‎).

Pronunciation

(Classical) IPA(key): /ˈi.de.a/, [ˈɪd̪ eä]

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(Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈi.de.a/, [ˈiːd̪ eä]

Noun

idea f (genitive ideae); first declension

1. idea [quotations ▼]
2. prototype (Platonic)

Declension

First-declension noun.

Case Singular Plural

Nominative idea ideae

Genitive ideae ideārum

Dative ideae ideīs

Accusative ideam ideās

Ablative ideā ideīs

Vocative idea ideae

Descendants
Asturian: idea French: idée Galician: idea
Catalan: idea → English: idée → Hungarian: idea
English: idea → German: Idee Irish: idé
Danish: idé → Norwegian Bokmål: idé Italian: idea
Dutch: idee → Norwegian Nynorsk: idé Piedmontese: idea
→ Swedish: idé Polish: idea
→ Turkish: ide Portuguese: ideia
Romanian: idee
Friulian: idee
Spanish: idea

References
“idea (https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0059:entry=idea)”, in
Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press

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idea (http://ducange.enc.sorbonne.fr/IDEA) in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ

et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and
others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)

Malay

Etymology

Borrowed from English idea, from Latin idea ‎(“a (Platonic) idea; archetype”‎), from Ancient Greek
ἰδέα ‎(idéa, “notion, pattern”‎), from εἴδω ‎(eídō, “I see”‎).

Noun

idea (Jawi spelling ‫ايديا‬‎, plural idea-idea, informal 1st possessive ideaku, 2nd possessive
ideamu, 3rd possessive ideanya)

1. idea

Alternative forms
ide (Indonesia, Timor-Leste)

Maltese

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian idea, from Latin idea, from Ancient Greek ἰδέα ‎(idéa‎).

Pronunciation

IPA(key): /ɪˈdɛː.a/, /ɪˈdɛː.ja/

Homophone: idejha (one pronunciation)

Noun

idea f (plural ideat)

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1. idea

Northern Sami

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

Noun

idea

1. idea

Inflection
This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Further reading
Koponen, Eino; Ruppel, Klaas; Aapala, Kirsti, editors (2002–2008) Álgu database: Etymological
database of the Saami languages[1] (http://kaino.kotus.fi/algu/index.php?kkieli=en&t=etusivu), Helsinki:
Research Institute for the Languages of Finland

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin idea, from Ancient Greek ἰδέα ‎(idéa‎), from εἴδω ‎(eídō‎).

Pronunciation

IPA(key): /iˈdɛ.a/
Audio 0:02

Rhymes: -ɛa
Syllabification: i‧de‧a

Noun

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idea f (diminutive idejka)

1. idea (image of an object that is formed in the mind or recalled by the memory) [synonym ▲]

Synonym: pomysł

2. (philosophy) idea (abstract archetype of a given thing, compared to which real-life examples are
seen as imperfect)
3. keynote, mission statement

Declension
Declension of idea [show ▼]

Derived terms
(adjectives):
bezideowy
ideowy
(adverbs):
bezideowo
ideowo
(nouns):
bezideowiec ideowiec
bezideowość ideowość

Further reading
idea (https://wsjp.pl/szukaj/podstawowe/wyniki?szukaj=idea) in Wielki słownik języka polskiego,
Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
idea (https://sjp.pwn.pl/szukaj/idea.html) in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian ideare.

Verb

a idea (third-person singular present ideează, past participle ideat) 1st conj.

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1. to invent, to conceive

Conjugation
    conjugation of idea (first conjugation, -ez- infix) [show ▼]

Slovak

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin idea ‎(“a (Platonic) idea; archetype”‎), from Ancient Greek ἰδέα ‎(idéa, “notion,
pattern”‎), from εἴδω ‎(eídō, “I see”‎).

Pronunciation

IPA(key): /ˈidɛa/

Noun

idea  f (genitive singular idey, nominative plural idey, genitive plural ideí, declension pattern of
idea)

1. idea (that which exists in the mind as the result of mental activity)

Declension
Declension of idea [show ▼]

Related terms
ideológ m
ideologický m
ideológia f
ideový m
ideál m
idealista m
idealistický m
idealizácia f

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idealizmus m

Further reading
idea (http://slovnik.juls.savba.sk/?w=idea) in Slovak dictionaries at slovnik.juls.savba.sk

Spanish

Pronunciation

IPA(key): /iˈdea/ [iˈð̞ e.a]

Rhymes: -ea
Syllabification: i‧de‧a

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin idea, from Ancient Greek ἰδέα ‎(idéa, “notion, pattern”‎), from εἴδω ‎(eídō, “to
see”‎). Compare Portuguese ideia.

Noun

idea f (plural ideas)

1. idea

Derived terms
asociación de ideas lluvia de ideas remota idea
cambiar de idea mala idea tormenta de ideas
hacerse una idea ni idea
[ show more ▼ ] 

Related terms
ideal
idear

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

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idea

1. inflection of idear:
1. third-person singular present indicative
2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading
“idea (https://dle.rae.es/idea)”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición,
Real Academia Española, 2014

Tagalog

Alternative forms
ideya

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish idea.

Pronunciation
Hyphenation: i‧de‧a

IPA(key): /ʔideˈja/, [ʔɪ.deˈja]

IPA(key): /ʔiˈdeja/, [ʔɪˈde.jɐ]

Noun

ideá or idea

1. idea; opinion [synonyms ▲]

Synonyms: palagay, opinyon, kuro-kuro

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2. plan; intention [synonyms ▲]

Synonyms: balak, layon, hangad

Derived terms
magkaidea maidea

Related terms

ideal
idealismo
idealista

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