# idea
## English
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin idea (“a (Platonic) idea; archetype”), from Ancient Greek ἰδέα (idéa, “notion, pattern”), from εἴδω (eídō, “I see”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to know; see”). Cognate with French idée. Doublet of idée. Related to idol, idolum, and eidolon.

### Pronunciation

* (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /aɪ̯ˈdɪə̯/
* (General American) IPA: /aɪ̯ˈdi.ə/
** Audio (US):(file)
** (US, Appalachia, r-epenthesis) IPA: /aːˈdɪɹ/
* (New Zealand) IPA: /aɪ̯ˈdiə̯/, [ɑe̯ˈdiə̯], [-ˈdeə̯]
* (Southern US, obsolete) IPA: /aɪˈdiː/, /ˈaɪdi/
* (South Asia) IPA: /ˈaɪɖɪ(j)aː/
* Rhymes: -ɪə, -iːə
* Hyphenation: i‧dea, i‧de‧a

### Noun

idea (plural ideas or (philosophy, rare) ideæ)
* (philosophy) An abstract archetype of a given thing, compared to which real-life examples are seen as imperfect approximations; pure essence, as opposed to actual examples. [from 14th c.]
** 2013 October 19, “Trouble at the lab”, in The Economist, volume 409, number 8858:The idea that the same experiments always get the same results, no matter who performs them, is one of the cornerstones of science’s claim to objective truth. If a systematic campaign of replication does not lead to the same results, then either the original research is flawed (as the replicators claim) or the replications are (as many of the original researchers on priming contend). Either way, something is awry.
* (obsolete) The conception of someone or something as representing a perfect example; an ideal. [16th–19th c.]
* (obsolete) The form or shape of something; a quintessential aspect or characteristic. [16th–18th c.]
** 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 6, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:The remembrance whereof (which yet I beare deepely imprinted in my minde) representing me her visage and Idea so lively and so naturally, doth in some sort reconcile me unto her.
* An image of an object that is formed in the mind or recalled by the memory. [from 16th c.]
    The mere idea of you is enough to excite me.
* More generally, any result of mental activity; a thought, a notion; a way of thinking. [from 17th c.]
** 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter III, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:Now all this was very fine, but not at all in keeping with the Celebrity's character as I had come to conceive it. The idea that adulation ever cloyed on him was ludicrous in itself. In fact I thought the whole story fishy, and came very near to saying so.
** 1952, Alfred Whitney Griswold, (Please provide the book title or journal name):Ideas won't go to jail.
* A conception in the mind of something to be done; a plan for doing something, an intention. [from 17th c.]
    I have an idea of how we might escape.
* A purposeful aim or goal; intent
    Yeah, that's the idea.
** 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter III, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:My hopes wa'n't disappointed. I never saw clams thicker than they was along them inshore flats. I filled my dreener in no time, and then it come to me that 'twouldn't be a bad idee to get a lot more, take 'em with me to Wellmouth, and peddle 'em out. Clams was fairly scarce over that side of the bay and ought to fetch a fair price.
** 2013 June 1, “End of the peer show”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8838, page 71:Finance is seldom romantic. But the idea of peer-to-peer lending comes close. This is an industry that brings together individual savers and lenders on online platforms. Those that want to borrow are matched with those that want to lend.
* A vague or fanciful notion; a feeling or hunch; an impression. [from 17th c.]
    He had the wild idea that if he leant forward a little, he might be able to touch the mountain-top.
* (music) A musical theme or melodic subject. [from 18th c.]

#### Synonyms

* (mental transcript, image, or picture): image

#### Derived terms

* absolute idea
* abstract idea
* all the gear and no idea
* buck up one's ideas
* business idea
* fixed idea
* get the idea
* have no idea
* have the first idea
* idea art
* idea'd
* idea dinner
* idea future
* idea hamster
* idea man
* idea monger
* idea of reference
* idea pot
* idea virus
* life-idea
* memory-idea
* mother-idea
* no idea
* not have the faintest idea
* not have the first idea
* one-idea
* over-valued idea
* overvalued idea
* received idea
* sense-idea
* simple idea
* the very idea
* war of ideas
* what's the big idea

#### Related terms

* ideal
* idealism
* idealist
* ideality
* idealize
* ideate
* ideatum
* ideocracy
* ideologue
* ideology
* in idea

#### Collocations

* good idea
* bad idea
* better idea
* great idea
* new idea
* slightest idea
* least idea
* basic idea
* general idea
* whole idea
* fixed idea
* mistaken idea
* leading idea
* guiding idea
* confused idea
* following idea
* controlling idea
* prevailing idea
* ruling idea
* accepted idea
* clear idea
* original idea

#### Descendants

* → Japanese: アイディア (aidia), アイデア (aidea)

#### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

### References

* ↑ Stanley, Oma (1937) “II. Vowel Sounds in Unstressed and Partially Stressed Syllables”, in The Speech of East Texas (American Speech: Reprints and Monographs; 2), New York: Columbia University Press, →DOI, →ISBN, § I.4, page 40.

### Further reading

* “idea”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
* William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “idea”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
* “idea”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
* “idea”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
* “idea”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN.
* “idea”, in Collins English Dictionary.

### Anagrams

* Adie, aide, daie

## Asturian
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin idea, from Ancient Greek ἰδέα (idéa, “notion, pattern”), from εἴδω (eídō, “I see”).

### Noun

idea f (plural idees)
* idea

#### Related terms

* ideal

## Catalan
### Alternative forms

* ideia (dialectal, proscribed)

### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin idea, from Ancient Greek.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Central) [iˈðe.ə]
* IPA: (Balearic) [iˈðɛ.ə]
* IPA: (Valencia) [iˈðe.a]
* Audio:(file)

### Noun

idea f (plural idees)
* An idea, a mental representation of a real or imaginary thing
    La idea de justícia. ― The idea of justice.
* An elementary or general notion of something
    No en tenia la més petita idea. ― I/She/He didn't have the slightest idea.
* A concept to be realized, plan of action, purpose, intention
    M’agrada, la idea'! ― I like the idea!
* The fundamental, substantial part of a doctrine, a reasoning, etc
    La idea cristiana. ― The Christian idea.

#### Usage notes

* Often pronounced as ideia.

#### Related terms

* ideal
* idear
* ideari

### Further reading

* “idea” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
* “idea”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
* “idea” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
* “idea” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

## Chinese
### Etymology

From English idea.

### Pronunciation

* Cantonese (Jyutping): aai$^6$ di$^1$ aa$^4$
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: aai$^6$ di$^1$ aa$^4$
*** Yale: aaih dī àh
*** Cantonese Pinyin: aai$^6$ di$^1$ aa$^4$
*** Guangdong Romanization: ai$^6$ di$^1$ a$^4$
*** Sinological IPA : /aːi̯²² tiː⁵⁵ aː²¹/

### Noun

idea
* (Hong Kong Cantonese) idea; plan

### References

* English Loanwords in Hong Kong Cantonese

## Czech
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin idea, from Ancient Greek ἰδέα (idéa), from εἴδω (eídō).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈɪdɛa]
* Audio:(file)

### Noun

idea f
* idea (that which exists in the mind as the result of mental activity)

#### Related terms

* ideace
* idealismus
* idealista
* idealizace
* idealizovaný
* idealizovat
* ideál
* ideolog
* ideologický
* ideologie
* ideový
* ideozločin

### Further reading

* “idea”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
* “idea”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
* “idea”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech), 2008–2025

## Finnish
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin idea, from Ancient Greek ἰδέα (idéa, “notion, pattern”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈideɑ/, [ˈide̞ɑ̝]
* Rhymes: -ideɑ
* Hyphenation: idea

### Noun

idea
* idea
    Synonyms: ajatus, oivallus

#### Declension

Possessive forms of idea (Kotus type 12/kulkija, no gradation) :
first-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
ideani
ideani
accusative
nom.
ideani
ideani
gen.
ideani
genitive
ideani
ideoideni ideoitteni ideaini $^{rare}$
partitive
ideaani
ideoitani
inessive
ideassani
ideoissani
elative
ideastani
ideoistani
illative
ideaani
ideoihini
adessive
ideallani
ideoillani
ablative
idealtani
ideoiltani
allative
idealleni
ideoilleni
essive
ideanani
ideoinani
translative
ideakseni
ideoikseni
abessive
ideattani
ideoittani
instructive
comitative
—ideoineni
second-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
ideasi
ideasi
accusative
nom.
ideasi
ideasi
gen.
ideasi
genitive
ideasi
ideoidesi ideoittesi ideaisi $^{rare}$
partitive
ideaasi
ideoitasi
inessive
ideassasi
ideoissasi
elative
ideastasi
ideoistasi
illative
ideaasi
ideoihisi
adessive
ideallasi
ideoillasi
ablative
idealtasi
ideoiltasi
allative
ideallesi
ideoillesi
essive
ideanasi
ideoinasi
translative
ideaksesi
ideoiksesi
abessive
ideattasi
ideoittasi
instructive
comitative
—ideoinesi
first-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
ideamme
ideamme
accusative
nom.
ideamme
ideamme
gen.
ideamme
genitive
ideamme
ideoidemme ideoittemme ideaimme $^{rare}$
partitive
ideaamme
ideoitamme
inessive
ideassamme
ideoissamme
elative
ideastamme
ideoistamme
illative
ideaamme
ideoihimme
adessive
ideallamme
ideoillamme
ablative
idealtamme
ideoiltamme
allative
ideallemme
ideoillemme
essive
ideanamme
ideoinamme
translative
ideaksemme
ideoiksemme
abessive
ideattamme
ideoittamme
instructive
comitative
—ideoinemme
second-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
ideanne
ideanne
accusative
nom.
ideanne
ideanne
gen.
ideanne
genitive
ideanne
ideoidenne ideoittenne ideainne $^{rare}$
partitive
ideaanne
ideoitanne
inessive
ideassanne
ideoissanne
elative
ideastanne
ideoistanne
illative
ideaanne
ideoihinne
adessive
ideallanne
ideoillanne
ablative
idealtanne
ideoiltanne
allative
ideallenne
ideoillenne
essive
ideananne
ideoinanne
translative
ideaksenne
ideoiksenne
abessive
ideattanne
ideoittanne
instructive
comitative
—ideoinenne
third-person possessor
singular
plural
nominative
ideansa
ideansa
accusative
nom.
ideansa
ideansa
gen.
ideansa
genitive
ideansa
ideoidensa ideoittensa ideainsa $^{rare}$
partitive
ideaansa
ideoitaan ideoitansa
inessive
ideassaan ideassansa
ideoissaan ideoissansa
elative
ideastaan ideastansa
ideoistaan ideoistansa
illative
ideaansa
ideoihinsa
adessive
ideallaan ideallansa
ideoillaan ideoillansa
ablative
idealtaan idealtansa
ideoiltaan ideoiltansa
allative
idealleen ideallensa
ideoilleen ideoillensa
essive
ideanaan ideanansa
ideoinaan ideoinansa
translative
ideakseen ideaksensa
ideoikseen ideoiksensa
abessive
ideattaan ideattansa
ideoittaan ideoittansa
instructive
comitative
—ideoineen ideoinensa :

#### Derived terms

* ideoida
* idis
* bisnesidea
* ideakilpailu
* ideanikkari
* ideariihi
* idearikas
* kuningasidea
* liikeidea
* ohjelmaidea
* tuoteidea

### Further reading

* “idea”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

## Galician
### Alternative forms

* ideia (reintegrationist)

### Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin idea, from Ancient Greek ἰδέα (idéa, “notion, pattern”), from εἴδω (eídō, “I see”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /iˈdɛa/ [iˈð̞ɛ.ɐ]
* Rhymes: -ɛa
* Hyphenation: i‧de‧a

### Noun

idea f (plural ideas)
* idea

#### Related terms

* ideal

### Further reading

* “idea”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2025

## Hungarian
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin idea, from Ancient Greek ἰδέα (idéa, “notion, pattern”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈidɛɒ]
* Hyphenation: idea
* Rhymes: -ɒ

### Noun

idea (plural ideák)
* (philosophy or formal) idea
    Synonyms: eszme, ötlet, gondolat

#### Declension
### References

* ↑ Tótfalusi, István. Idegenszó-tár: Idegen szavak értelmező és etimológiai szótára (’A Storehouse of Foreign Words: an explanatory and etymological dictionary of foreign words’). Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó, 2005. →ISBN

### Further reading

* idea in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN

## Interlingua
### Noun

idea (plural ideas)
* idea

## Italian
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /iˈdɛ.a/
* Rhymes: -ɛa
* Hyphenation: i‧dè‧a

### Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin idea, from Ancient Greek ἰδέα (idéa, “notion, pattern”), from εἴδω (eídō, “I see”).

#### Noun

idea f (plural idee)
* idea
    buon'idea ― good idea

##### Related terms

* ideale
* ideare
* ideazione
* ideo-

### Etymology 2
#### Verb

idea
* inflection of ideare:
** third-person singular present indicative
** second-person singular imperative

### Further reading

* idea in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

### Anagrams

* aedi

## Latin
### Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἰδέα (idéa, “notion, pattern”).

### Pronunciation

* (Classical Latin) IPA: /ˈi.de.a/, [ˈɪd̪eä]
* (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA: /ˈi.de.a/, [ˈiːd̪eä]

### Noun

idea f (genitive ideae); first declension
* idea
** 1719, Johann Jakob Brucker, (Please provide the book title or journal name):Tentamen Introductionis in Historiam Doctrinae Logicae de IdeisAn Essay Introducing the History of the Logical Doctrine of Ideas
* prototype (Platonic)

#### Declension

First-declension noun.

#### Descendants

* Asturian: idea
* Catalan: idea
* English: idea
* Danish: idé
* Dutch: idee
* French: idée
** → English: idée
** → Persian: ایده (ide)
** → German: Idee
** → Norwegian Bokmål: idé
** → Norwegian Nynorsk: idé
** → Swedish: idé
** → Turkish: ide
* Friulian: idee
* Galician: idea
* → Hungarian: idea
* Irish: idé
* Italian: idea
* Piedmontese: idea
* Polish: idea
* Portuguese: ideia
* Romanian: idee
* Spanish: idea

### References

* “idea”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
* "idea", in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)

## Malay
### Etymology

Borrowed from English idea, from Latin idea (“a (Platonic) idea; archetype”), from Ancient Greek ἰδέα (idéa, “notion, pattern”), from εἴδω (eídō, “I see”).

### Noun

idea (Jawi spelling ايديا, plural idea-idea, informal 1st possessive ideaku, 2nd possessive ideamu, 3rd possessive ideanya)
* idea

#### Alternative forms

* ide (Indonesia, Timor-Leste)

## Maltese
### Alternative forms

* ideja, idija

### Etymology

Borrowed from Italian idea.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ɪˈdɛː.a/, /ɪˈdɛː.ja/
* Homophone: idejha (one pronunciation)
* Rhymes: -a

### Noun

idea f (plural ideat)
* idea; thought; opinion

#### Related terms

* ideali
* idealistikament
* idealistiku
* idealiżmu
* idealizza
* idealizzazzjoni
* idealment
* idejabbli
* idejal

## Northern Sami
### Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

### Pronunciation

* (Kautokeino) IPA: /ˈitea̯/

### Noun

idea
* idea

#### Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

#### Further reading

* Koponen, Eino, Ruppel, Klaas, Aapala, Kirsti, editors (2002–2008), Álgu database: Etymological database of the Saami languages‎, Helsinki: Research Institute for the Languages of Finland

## Polish
### Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin idea.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /iˈdɛ.a/
* Audio 1:(file)
* Audio 2:(file)
* Rhymes: -ɛa
* Syllabification: i‧de‧a

### Noun

idea f (diminutive idejka)
* idea (image of an object that is formed in the mind or recalled by the memory)
    Synonym: pomysł
* (philosophy) idea (abstract archetype of a given thing, compared to which real-life examples are seen as imperfect)
* keynote, mission statement

#### Derived terms

* bezideowy
* ideowy
* bezideowo
* ideowo
* bezideowiec
* bezideowość
* ideowiec
* ideowość

### Further reading

* idea in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
* idea in Polish dictionaries at PWN

## Romanian
### Etymology

Borrowed from Italian ideare.

### Verb

a idea (third-person singular present ideează, past participle ideat) 1st conjugation
* to invent, to conceive

#### Conjugation
## Slovak
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin idea (“a (Platonic) idea; archetype”), from Ancient Greek ἰδέα (idéa, “notion, pattern”), from εἴδω (eídō, “I see”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈidea]

### Noun

idea f (genitive singular idey, nominative plural idey, genitive plural ideí, declension pattern of idea)
* idea (that which exists in the mind as the result of mental activity)

#### Related terms

* ideológ m
* ideologický m
* ideológia f
* ideový m
* ideál m
* idealista m
* idealistický m
* idealizácia f
* idealizmus m

### Further reading

* “idea”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2025

## Spanish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /iˈdea/ [iˈð̞e.a]
* Audio (Colombia):(file)
* Rhymes: -ea
* Syllabification: i‧de‧a

### Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin idea, from Ancient Greek ἰδέα (idéa, “notion, pattern”), from εἴδω (eídō, “to see”). Compare Portuguese ideia.

#### Alternative forms

* idéa (superseded)

#### Noun

idea f (plural ideas)
* idea

##### Derived terms

* asociación de ideas
* cambiar de idea
* hacerse una idea
* idea fija
* lluvia de ideas
* mala idea
* ni idea
* no tener ni idea
* remota idea
* tormenta de ideas

##### Related terms

* ideal
* idear

### Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

#### Verb

idea
* inflection of idear:
** third-person singular present indicative
** second-person singular imperative

### Further reading

* “idea”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

## Tagalog
### Alternative forms

* ideya

### Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish idea, from Latin idea, from Ancient Greek ἰδέα (idéa, “notion, pattern”).

### Pronunciation

* (Standard Tagalog) IPA: /ʔideˈa/ [ʔɪ.d̪ɛˈa], /ʔiˈdea/ [ʔɪˈd̪ɛː.ɐ]
* Rhymes: -a, -ea
* Syllabification: i‧de‧a

### Noun

ideá or idea (Baybayin spelling ᜁᜇᜒᜌ)
* idea; opinion
    Synonyms: palagay, opinyon, kuro-kuro
* plan; intention
    Synonyms: balak, layon, hangad

#### Derived terms

* magkaidea
* maidea

#### Related terms

* ideal
* idealismo
* idealista