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adjective
1.
ludicrously or whimsically comical; clownish.
noun
2.
one who plays the clown or fool in order to amuse others.
3.
a comically wild or eccentric person.
4.
a secondary stock character in old comedies who mimicked his master.
5.
a professional buffoon; clown.
6.
EXPANDa silly person; simpleton.
7.
COLLAPSEa slavish attendant or follower.
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Zanily
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
Origin:
1560–70; (< Middle French ) < Italian zan(n)i (later zanno) a servant character in the commedia dell’arte, perhaps orig. the character's name, the Upper Italian form of Tuscan Gianni, for Giovanni John
1560–70; (< Middle French ) < Italian zan(n)i (later zanno) a servant character in the commedia dell’arte, perhaps orig. the character's name, the Upper Italian form of Tuscan Gianni, for Giovanni John
Related forms
za·ni·ly, adverb
za·ni·ness, za·ny·ism, noun
za·ny·ish, adjective
Synonyms
3. kook, crazy, lunatic.
3. kook, crazy, lunatic.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To zanily
Collins
World English Dictionary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
zany
comic performer, 1588, from Fr. zani, from It. zani, zanni "a zany, clown," originally Zanni, Venetian dial. variant of Gianni, pet form of Giovanni "John." A stock character in old comedies, he aped the principal actors. The adj. is attested by 1869, from the noun.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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