TIL, that "moron", "imbecile" and "idiot" used to signify gradations of intelligence.
Now, if someone calls me an idiot, I can respond huffily "I'll have you know, sir, that I'm _at least_ an imbecile."
"Idiots.—Those so defective that the mental development never exceeds that or a normal child of about two years.
Imbeciles.—Those whose development is higher than that of an idiot, but whose intelligence does not exceed that of a normal child of about seven years.
Morons.—Those whose mental development is above that of an imbecile, but does not exceed that of a normal child of about twelve years.
— Edmund Burke Huey, Backward and Feeble-Minded Children, 1912"
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/moron-idiot-imbecile-offensive-history
Now, if someone calls me an idiot, I can respond huffily "I'll have you know, sir, that I'm _at least_ an imbecile."
"Idiots.—Those so defective that the mental development never exceeds that or a normal child of about two years.
Imbeciles.—Those whose development is higher than that of an idiot, but whose intelligence does not exceed that of a normal child of about seven years.
Morons.—Those whose mental development is above that of an imbecile, but does not exceed that of a normal child of about twelve years.
— Edmund Burke Huey, Backward and Feeble-Minded Children, 1912"
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/moron-idiot-imbecile-offensive-history