IQ
UK[ˌaɪ ˈkjuː]US[ˌaɪ ˈkjuː]
n
A measure of a person's intelligence as indicated by an intelligence test; the ratio of a person's mental age to their chronological age, multiplied by 100.
Etymology
The term 'IQ' is an initialism for 'Intelligence Quotient'. The word 'intelligence' originates from the Latin 'intelligentia', meaning "understanding, knowledge, power of discerning," derived from 'intelligere' (to understand). 'Quotient' comes from the Latin 'quotiens', meaning "how many times," via the Medieval Latin 'quotientem'. The concept was developed by German psychologist William Stern in 1912, who proposed the formula of dividing a person's mental age (as measured by a test) by their chronological age to yield a 'quotient'. This initialism represents a modern psychometric construct, condensing a complex psychological assessment into a widely recognized, though often simplified, numerical index.
Analysis
N/A
Examples
The child's exceptionally high IQ qualified her for the gifted program.
The study examined the correlation between nutrition in early childhood and later IQ scores.
He argued that IQ tests do not measure creativity or emotional intelligence.