English Online Dictionary. What means idea? What does idea mean?
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/
- (non-rhotic accents, intrusive r) IPA(key): /aɪˈdɪɹ/
- (US, Appalachia, r-epenthesis) IPA(key): /aːˈdɪɹ/
- (New Zealand) IPA(key): /ɑeˈdiə̯/
- Rhymes: -ɪə(ɹ), -iːə
- (Southern American English, obsolete) IPA(key): /aɪˈdiː/, /ˈaɪdi/
- Hyphenation: i‧dea, i‧de‧a
Noun
idea (plural ideas or (rare) ideæ)
- (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.]
- (obsolete) The conception of someone or something as representing a perfect example; an ideal. [16th–19th c.]
- (obsolete) The form or shape of something; a quintessential aspect or characteristic. [16th–18th c.]
- An image of an object that is formed in the mind or recalled by the memory. [from 16th c.]
- More generally, any result of mental activity; a thought, a notion; a way of thinking. [from 17th c.]
- A conception in the mind of something to be done; a plan for doing something, an intention. [from 17th c.]
- A purposeful aim or goal; intent
- A vague or fanciful notion; a feeling or hunch; an impression. [from 17th c.]
- (music) A musical theme or melodic subject. [from 18th c.]
Synonyms
- (mental transcript, image, or picture): image
Derived terms
Related terms
Collocations
Descendants
- → Japanese: アイディア (aidia), アイデア (aidea)
Translations
References
Further reading
- “idea”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “idea”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- “idea”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
- “idea”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
- “idea”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN.
- “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)
- 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/
Noun
idea f (plural idees)
- idea (clarification of this definition is needed)
Usage notes
Often pronounced as ideia.
Related terms
- ideal
- idear
Further reading
- “idea” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
- “idea”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2023
- “idea” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
- “idea” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
Chinese
Etymology
From English idea.
Pronunciation
Noun
idea
- (Hong Kong Cantonese) idea; plan
References
- English Loanwords in Hong Kong Cantonese
Czech
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin idea, from Ancient Greek ἰδέα (idéa), from εἴδω (eídō).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈɪdɛa]
Noun
idea f
- idea (that which exists in the mind as the result of mental activity)
Declension
Related terms
Further reading
- idea in Příruční slovník jazyka českého, 1935–1957
- idea in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989
- idea in Internetová jazyková příručka
Finnish
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin idea, from Ancient Greek ἰδέα (idéa, “notion, pattern”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈideɑ/, [ˈide̞ɑ̝]
- Rhymes: -ideɑ
- Syllabification(key): i‧de‧a
Noun
idea
- idea
Declension
Synonyms
- ajatus
Further reading
- "idea" in Kielitoimiston sanakirja (Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish).
Galician
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin idea, from Ancient Greek ἰδέα (idéa, “notion, pattern”), from εἴδω (eídō, “I see”).
Noun
idea f (plural ideas)
- idea
Related terms
- ideal
Hungarian
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin idea, from Ancient Greek ἰδέα (idéa, “notion, pattern”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈidɛɒ]
- Hyphenation: idea
- Rhymes: -ɒ
Noun
idea (plural ideák)
- (philosophy or formal) idea
- Synonyms: eszme, ötlet, gondolat
Declension
References
Further reading
- idea 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)
- idea
Italian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /iˈdɛ.a/
- Rhymes: -ɛa
- Hyphenation: 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)
- idea
- buon'idea ― good idea
Related terms
- ideale
- ideare
- ideazione
- ideo-
Etymology 2
Verb
idea
- inflection of ideare:
- third-person singular present indicative
- second-person singular imperative
Further reading
- 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/, [ˈɪd̪eä]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈi.de.a/, [ˈiːd̪eä]
Noun
idea f (genitive ideae); first declension
- idea
- prototype (Platonic)
Declension
First-declension noun.
Descendants
References
- “idea”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- 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)
- idea
Alternative forms
- ide (Indonesia, Timor-Leste)
Maltese
Alternative forms
- ideja, idija
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian idea.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɪˈdɛː.a/, /ɪˈdɛː.ja/
- Homophone: idejha (one pronunciation)
- Rhymes: -a
Noun
idea f (plural ideat)
- idea; thought; opinion
Related terms
Northern Sami
Etymology
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Pronunciation
Noun
idea
- 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], 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/
- Rhymes: -ɛa
- Syllabification: i‧de‧a
Noun
idea f (diminutive idejka)
- idea (image of an object that is formed in the mind or recalled by the memory)
- Synonym: pomysł
- (philosophy) idea (abstract archetype of a given thing, compared to which real-life examples are seen as imperfect)
- keynote, mission statement
Declension
Derived terms
Further reading
- idea in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
- idea in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Romanian
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian ideare.
Verb
a idea (third-person singular present ideează, past participle ideat) 1st conj.
- to invent, to conceive
Conjugation
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)
- idea (that which exists in the mind as the result of mental activity)
Declension
Related terms
- ideológ m
- ideologický m
- ideológia f
- ideový m
- ideál m
- idealista m
- idealistický m
- idealizácia f
- idealizmus m
Further reading
- idea in Slovak dictionaries at slovnik.juls.savba.sk
Spanish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /iˈdea/ [iˈð̞e.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)
- idea
Derived terms
Related terms
Etymology 2
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb
idea
- inflection of idear:
- third-person singular present indicative
- second-person singular imperative
Further reading
- “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): /ʔideˈa/, [ʔɪ.dɛˈa]
- IPA(key): /ʔiˈdea/, [ʔɪˈdɛ.ɐ]
Noun
ideá or idea
- idea; opinion
- Synonyms: palagay, opinyon, kuro-kuro
- plan; intention
- Synonyms: balak, layon, hangad
Derived terms
Related terms
- ideal
- idealismo
- idealista