idea
idea Lexical Profile
idea Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A thought, suggestion, or possible course of action conceived in the mind.
"She proposed a brilliant idea for reducing waste in the school cafeteria."
A mental impression, opinion, or general understanding of what something or someone is like.
"The introductory seminar gave the students a clear idea of what to expect during the semester."
The underlying aim, purpose, or guiding principle of an activity or arrangement.
"The whole idea of the mentorship program is to help new employees integrate smoothly."
In Platonic philosophy, an eternally existing, transcendent pattern or archetype of which physical things are imperfect copies.
"In Plato's metaphysics, every physical object is merely a shadow of a timeless Idea."
• Rhymes for idea
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 14th century from Latin idea, from Ancient Greek ἰδέα (idéa, "form, pattern, or appearance"), which derives from the verb εἰδέναι (eidénai, "to see or know"). Originally used in English in the Platonic philosophical sense of an eternal archetype before broadening in the 17th century to mean any mental conception or thought.