adjective/ˈtonto/
stupid; silly, foolish
“¿Estás tonto?” — Are you stupid?
Synonyms: bobo, estúpido, idiota, retrasado, subnormal, tarado
Uncertain. Latin attonitus has been proposed, but there are phonological difficulties, namely unexpected loss of initial /a/ and lack of diphthongization; cf. the expected outcome atuendo. Tonto may have an expressive or onomatopoeic origin. Another hypothesis is that it derives from *tontum, a 'vulgar' past participle for Latin tondeo (“to shear”). Compare Italian tonto, Portuguese tonto, and Romanian tont, tânt, Sicilian ntontu.
noun, masculine/ˈtonto/plural: tontos
a fool, a stupid person
Related: hacer el tonto, mal de muchos, consuelo de tontos, pan con pan, comida de tontos
Uncertain. Latin attonitus has been proposed, but there are phonological difficulties, namely unexpected loss of initial /a/ and lack of diphthongization; cf. the expected outcome atuendo. Tonto may have an expressive or onomatopoeic origin. Another hypothesis is that it derives from *tontum, a 'vulgar' past participle for Latin tondeo (“to shear”). Compare Italian tonto, Portuguese tonto, and Romanian tont, tânt, Sicilian ntontu.