Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.81 in modern English

Syllables
in- the -land of the blind, the one-eyed -man is k-ing
IPA
65
Scrabble Score
38
Letters
6
Syllables
16
Unique Chars

Meaning

proverb

Even someone with limited abilities or opportunities is dominant over, and considered special by, those who have even fewer abilities and opportunities; the value of any ability depends on its prevalence.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Calque of Latin in regione caecorum rex est luscus, popularized by Desiderius Erasmus’ Adagia (1500). For further origin compare Aramaic בשוק סמייא צווחין לעווירא סגי נהור (literally “in the street of the blind, the one-eyed man is called the guiding light”), found in the Genesis Rabbah (4th or 5th century CE). This may be Erasmus’ direct source, but at least some traditional link between both forms seems likely.

Inflected Forms

in the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king (alternative) in the valley of the blind, the one-eyed man is king (alternative) in the city of the blind, the one-eyed man is king (alternative) in the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king (alternative)

Questions

What does in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king mean?
Even someone with limited abilities or opportunities is dominant over, and considered special by, those who have even fewer abilities and opportunities; the value of any ability depends on its prevalence.
Where does in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king come from?
Calque of Latin in regione caecorum rex est luscus, popularized by Desiderius Erasmus’ Adagia (1500). For further origin compare Aramaic בשוק סמייא צווחין לעווירא סגי נהור (literally “in the street of the blind, the one-eyed man is called the guiding light”), found in the Genesis Rabbah (4th or 5th century CE). This may be Erasmus’ direct source, but at least some traditional link between both forms seems likely.

How to pronounce in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king

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