Etymology

simpleton

sim·ple·ton
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Today it means: A simple-minded person lacking common sense. Full definition →

English simple ← Middle English symple ← Old French simple
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*sem-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*sm̥-
  3. Latinsem-
  4. Latinsimplu
  5. Old Frenchsimple
  6. Middle Englishsymple
  7. Englishsimple
  8. English todaysimpleton

From simple + -ton (as in a surname). Compare French simplet, Italian semplicione.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.