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.
\ \ Cf.JOHN

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Zany — (Englisch: clown[1]) (* 11. Mai 1974 in Veldhoven; eigentlich Raoul Van Grinsven) ist ein niederländischer DJ und Musikproduzent. Zany Vince auf der Qlimax 2008 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Zany — a ny, n.; pl. {Zanies}. [It. zanni a buffoon, merry andrew, orig. same as Giovanni John, i. e., merry John, L. Ioannes, Gr. ?, Heb. Y[=o]kh[=a]n[=a]n, prop., the Lord graciously gave: cf. F. zani, fr. the Italian. Cf. {Jenneting}.] A merry… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • zany — [zā′nē] n. pl. zanies [Fr zani < It dial. (Venetian) zani, zanni, a zany, clown, orig. a familiar abbrev. pronun. of Giovanni,JOHN1] 1. a clown or buffoon; specif., a former stock character in comedies who clownishly aped the principal actors… …   English World dictionary

  • Zany — a ny, v. t. To mimic. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] Your part is acted; give me leave at distance To zany it. Massinger. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • zany — [adj] crazy, funny camp*, campy*, clownish, comical, dumb, eccentric, fool, foolish, goofy, hare brained*, humorous, joshing, kooky*, loony*, madcap*, nutty*, sappy*, wacky*, witty; concept 267 Ant. serious zany [n] person who is wildly funny… …   New thesaurus

  • zany — ► ADJECTIVE (zanier, zaniest) ▪ amusingly unconventional and idiosyncratic. ► NOUN (pl. zanies) 1) a zany person. 2) historical a comic performer partnering a clown, whom he imitated in an amusing way. DERIVATIVES …   English terms dictionary

  • ZANY — Brainy, Inc. (Business » NASDAQ Symbols) …   Abbreviations dictionary

  • zany — {{11}}zany (adj.) 1869, from ZANY (Cf. zany) (n.). Related: Zanily; zaniness. {{12}}zany (n.) comic performer, 1580s, from Fr. zani, from It. zani, zanni a zany, clown, originally Zanni, Venetian dialect variant of Gianni, pet form of Giovanni… …   Etymology dictionary

  • zany — [[t]ze͟ɪni[/t]] zanier, zaniest ADJ GRADED: usu ADJ n Zany humour or a zany person is strange or eccentric in an amusing way. [INFORMAL] ...the zany humour of the Marx Brothers. Syn: wacky …   English dictionary

  • zany — UK [ˈzeɪnɪ] / US adjective Word forms zany : adjective zany comparative zanier superlative zaniest informal strange or unusual in a funny way a zany character/idea/film …   English dictionary

  • zany — [“zeni] mod. silly. □ What a zany chick! □ Clare is so zany. □ That is a zany idea, but I like it …   Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions

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