Learn English – Why does dense mean ‘stupid’

etymology

It would seem that 'dense' would be 'packed with brains', which is the opposite of stupid.

Best Answer

Dense comes from the Latin densus. Densus means thick, close together with the predominant idea of impenetrability. It is the opposite of fluid

What I get from that is:

  1. An intelligent mind is nimble and quick. A "stupid" mind is not nimble, and takes a longer time to pick up an idea, to absorb a new idea.
  2. If you consider an idea as an outside light, an intelligent mind can "receive illumination" because it is not opaque, not dense. An intelligent mind is transparent enough to receive new information and act on it.

Dense implies a longer time for new information to penetrate the mind and be absorbed as information worth acting on.