noun pl. zanies
- a clown or buffoon; specif., a former stock character in comedies who clownishly aped the principal actors
- a silly or foolish person; simpleton
Origin:
Fr zani < It dial. (Venetian) zani, zanni, a zany, clown, orig. a familiar abbrev. pronun. of Giovanni, John
adjective zanier, zaniest
of or characteristic of a zany; specif.,
- comical in an extravagantly ludicrous or slapstick manner
- foolish or crazy