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zany

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za⋅ny

  [zey-nee] adjective, -ni⋅er, -ni⋅est, noun, plural -nies.
Use zany in a Sentence
–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. a silly person; simpleton.
7. a slavish attendant or follower.
Origin:
1560–70; (< MF) < It zan(n)i (later zanno) a servant character in the commedia dell’arte, perh. 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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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za·ny   (zā'nē)   
n.   pl. za·nies

  1. A ludicrous, buffoonish character in old comedies who attempts feebly to mimic the tricks of the clown.

  2. A comical person given to extravagant or outlandish behavior.

adj.   za·ni·er, za·ni·est

  1. Ludicrously comical; clownish.

  2. Comical because of incongruity or strangeness; bizarre.


[French zani, from Italian dialectal zanni, from Zanni, variant of Italian Gianni, nickname for Giovanni, John, the name of servants who act as clowns in commedia dell'arte.]
za'ni·ly adv., za'ni·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

zany  (n.)
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, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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