zany
pronunciation
How to pronounce zany in British English:
UK [ˈzeɪni]
How to pronounce zany in American English:
US [ˈzeni]
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- Noun:
- a buffoon in one of the old comedies; imitates others for ludicrous effect
- a man who is a stupid incompetent fool
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- Adjective:
- pungent adjectives of disesteem
- like a clown
Word Origin
- zany
- zany: [16] Zany originated as the name of a character in the old Italian commedia dell’arte, who tried, rather feebly, to mimic the antics of the clown. It came from Italian Zanni, a Venetian and Lombardic variant of Gianni, the pet form of Giovanni (the Italian equivalent of English John). Its meaning was broadened out to ‘buffoon’ in the 17th century, but it does not seem to have really established itself as an adjective until the mid 19th century.=> john
- zany (n.)
- comic performer, 1580s, from French zani, from Italian zani, zanni "a zany, clown," originally Zanni, Venetian dialect variant of Gianni, pet form of Giovanni "John;" thus equivalent to English Jack. A stock character in old comedies, he aped the principal actors.
- zany (adj.)
- 1610s, from zany (n.). Related: Zanily; zaniness.
Example
- 1. 20000 Of these zany gadgets are sold each month .
- 2. Do you think I just havea zany accent for amusement ?
- 3. Organizers collected a range of bold , sometimes zany , approaches to the threat of an increasingly inhospitable world .
- 4. She made us all laugh with her zany tricks .
- 5. Zany vision or critical solution ?