InGreek mythology,Koalemos (Ancient Greek: Κοάλεμος) was the personification ofstupidity, mentioned once byAristophanes,[1] and being found also inParallel Lives byPlutarch.[2] Coalemus is the Latin spelling of the name.
Otherwise, the word κοάλεμος was used in the sense of "stupid person" or also "blockhead".[3]
An ancientfalse etymology derivesκοάλεμος fromκοέω (koeō) "perceive" andἡλεός (ēleos) "distraught, crazed".[4] Thisetymology is not established, however.[5]