הדיוט

Hebrew

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἰδιώτης (idiṓtēs, “commoner, layman”). Doublet of אִידִיוֹט (idyót).

Noun

הֶדְיוֹט • (hedyót) m

1. layman, a person who is uneducated in the subject matter at hand
   • a. 217 C.E., Mishnah, Bava Metzi'a 4:4:

     כשם שאונאה להדיוט כך אונאה לתגר רבי יהודה אומר אין אונאה לתגר

     Just as [the law of] fraud is [applicable] to [the case where one is dealing with] a layman, likewise [the law of] fraud is [applicable] to [the case where one is dealing with] a merchant. Rabbi Yehudah says: [The law of] fraud is not [applicable] to [the case where one is dealing with] a merchant.