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Chronic iodine deficiencies in diet can result in malfunctions of the thyroid gland, the gland that produces hormones necessary for normal human development. Some mountainous regions, such as parts of the Alps, do not naturally provide their inhabitants with a diet rich enough in iodine, and the resultant hypothyroidism causes stunted growth and mental retardation. In Franco-Provençal (the Romance speech of French Switzerland and adjacent areas of France), a person affected by hypothyroidism was called a cretin, literally, “wretch, innocent victim.” The word meant simply “Christian” and emphasized the hypothyroid victim's basic humanity.
Examples of cretin in a Sentence
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
24 June 2026
An audience used to having a cretin to groan at would need a new target.
—
Brian Grubb,
Vulture,
29 Oct. 2025
In Abercrombie’s fiction, the shining hero on horseback may be the most wretched cretin of them all, while the dandy of a prince, despised by his own people, is the one person with real courage and decency.
—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
6 Sep. 2021
But the good things Huff did 10 years ago don’t give him a lifetime pass to be a cretin.
—
Nancy Armour,
USA TODAY,
18 Feb. 2020
See All Example Sentences for cretin
Cite this Entry
“Cretin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cretin. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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