zany

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So she called me a "zany," and then after a little a "toad," but went on stroking my lady's hair.

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Definitions (14)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (4)

  1. noun A ludicrous, buffoonish character in old comedies who attempts feebly to mimic the tricks of the clown.
  2. noun A comical person given to extravagant or outlandish behavior.
  3. adjective Ludicrously comical; clownish.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (4)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (2)

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Examples (50)

  • Father Herrick's grown thick as thieves with the local zany, the old coot who calls himself Merlin, so he '11 be a able to slither his way out of this at avistic nightmare. —  F ;SF; - vol 087 issue 04-05 - October-November 1994
  • Well, I have decided I must not hide from my strange Blog-life, or JW's legacy, or from "zany" —  Blogtimore, Hon
  • There are times when it feels like the writers are reaching too far to come up with "zany" dialogue, rather than letting the game's own weirdness speak for itself. —  Jay is Games
  • Whether or not you like their often zany, sometimes bizarre television advertising, we have to acknowledge one thing about the Smithe brothers -- Walter, Tim and Mark: They know how to keep the Walter E. Smithe furniture store brand in front of the public.
  • The strategy gets him into zany, slapstick-heavy trouble, but also helps him connect with his soulmate, Allison (Zooey Deschanel). —  California Chronicle
 

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Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. 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.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. from French zani, from Italian zanni, zane, a zany or clown; abbreviation of Giovanni, John: see John, and cf. English Jack in similar use.
  2. from zany, n.
 

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/ˈzeɪni/
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