menso

Esperanto

Etymology

From Latin mēns.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmenso]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -enso
• Hyphenation: men‧so

Noun

menso (accusative singular menson, plural mensoj, accusative plural mensojn)

1. mind

Derived terms

• mensa (“mental”)
• mense (“mentally”)

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈmen.soː/, [ˈmẽːs̠oː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈmen.so/, [ˈmɛnso]

Participle

mēnsō

1. dative/ablative masculine/neuter singular of mēnsus

Old Prussian

Noun

menso

1. meat
   • Elbing German-Prussian Vocabulary

     Vleysch   Menso

Spanish

Etymology

Arguably taken from Latin mēnsa (“table”); it is thought that medieval monks used the names of inanimate objects in disparaging reference to illiterate or non‐discerning people, partially out of a desire to not use an explicitly pejorative insult as would be forbidden by their canons.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmenso/ [ˈmẽn.so]
• Rhymes: -enso
• Syllabification: men‧so

Adjective

menso (feminine mensa, masculine plural mensos, feminine plural mensas)

1. (offensive, Mexico, Central America) foolish, dull

   Synonyms: bobo, insensato, tarado, tonto

   Antonyms: aguzado, brillante, inteligente, listo

2. (offensive, Mexico, Central America) distracted, absent-minded

   Synonyms: absorto, distraído

   Antonyms: aguzado, atento, concentrado

3. (offensive, Mexico) ignorant

   Synonym: ignorante

   Antonyms: conocedor, inteligente, sabio

4. (offensive, Mexico) inexpert

   Synonyms: inexperto, novato, principiante

   Antonyms: conocedor, experto, perito

5. (offensive, Mexico) timid, shy

   Synonyms: chiveado, penoso, tímido

   Antonyms: aventado, decidido, valiente

6. (offensive, Mexico) ingenuous, naive

   Synonyms: inexperto, ingenuo

   Antonyms: colmilludo, sagaz

Usage notes

• Although in some contexts zonzo, bobo, tonto, menso, culero, tarado, idiota, imbécil, estúpido and pendejo may be synonyms, in most contexts these adjectives each have a different degree of severity, with zonzo having the mildest connotation, increasing in intensity in this rough order, to estúpido and pendejo, which have the most offensive sense.

Derived terms

• mensada

 

Further reading

• “menso”, in Diccionario de la lengua española (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy, 2023 November 28

Anagrams

• menos
• mesón