What is the etymology of the word "dinlo"?

dinlo n. stupid person; idiot

Suggested etymology from urban dictionary

a Romany (gypsy language) word that has been adopted widely by the east coast.

Sorry if this language offends but I think it is necessary that I post the actual sentence in which I saw it, and in any case the word is probably itself quite offensive already.

Christ, could you sound like any more of a fuckin dinlo in one thread?

I would love to know if this really is Romany.


Solution 1:

Yes, it seems to be so. The Webster's Online Dictionary definitely agrees. It seems that "dinlo" is a Romany word meaning "stupid", and it has just been directly "loaned" into English in some places (not mine, as far as I know)

In the link provided, the words "stupid" and "silly" have been translated into Romani as "dinlo", while the Romani word "dinlo" has been translated into English, meaning, "silly, stupid, an idiot, a fool".

Edit: It seems the above wasn't enough proof, so I looked up a Romani-English Dictionary, and the translation given was:

dinlo -> stupid