hebete

H4E1B3E1T1E1
US/ˈhiːbiːt/US/ˈhɛbiːt/

adjective

unintelligent; stupid.

OriginLatin hebes →
Scrabble 11
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Meanings

adjectivehebete (comparative more hebete, superlative most hebete)

comparative more hebete · superlative most hebete

  1. obsoleteunintelligent; stupid.

    the most hebete of created intelligences

    1856, Marion Harland, Alone

Origin

  1. Latinhebes
  2. Englishhebete

Learned borrowing from Latin hebes, hebetis (“dull, stupid”), from hebere (“to be dull”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

hebete. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hebete

MLA

“hebete.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hebete. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hebete,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hebete.

Source: hebete on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.