Both Uses of
congenital
in
The Idiot
- Their children are sometimes congenital idiots, like the hero of our story; sometimes they are found in the dock at the Assizes, where they are generally acquitted by the jury for edifying motives; sometimes they distinguish themselves by one of those burning scandals that amaze the public and add another blot to the stained record of our age.†
Chpt 2.8
- A crowd of eager claimants arose, who cared nothing about any last scion of a noble race undergoing treatment in Switzerland, at the expense of the deceased, as a congenital idiot.†
Chpt 2.8 *
Definition:
-
(congenital) a physiological attribute present at birth; or an ingrained trait