zany

zany
I. noun (plural zanies) Etymology: Italian zanni, a traditional masked clown, from Italian dialect Zanni, nickname for Italian Giovanni John Date: 1588 1. a subordinate clown or acrobat in old comedies who mimics ludicrously the tricks of the principal ; merry-andrew 2. a slavish follower ; toady 3. a. one who acts the buffoon to amuse others b. nut, kook II. adjective (zanier; -est) Date: 1609 1. being or having the characteristics of a zany 2. fantastically or absurdly ludicrous <
a zany movie
>
zanily adverbzaniness noun

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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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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