Funny that you mention it, but at one point "mentally retarded" was a gentler term for the then rather harsh clinically-used terms "idiot", "moron", and "imbeci

Funny that you mention it, but at one point "mentally retarded" was a gentler term for the then rather harsh clinically-used terms "idiot", "moron", and "imbecile". Now these three words are considered much less offensive than their one-time euphemism. What a world. Here's an article explaining it further: https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/moron-idiot-imbecile-offensive-history https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/moron-idiot-im...