zany Hear it!

zany definition

zany (zā′nē)

noun pl. zanies -·nies

  1. a clown or buffoon; specif., a former stock character in comedies who clownishly aped the principal actors
  2. a silly or foolish person; simpleton

Etymology: Fr zani < It dial. (Venetian) zani, zanni, a zany, clown, orig. a familiar abbrev. pronun. of Giovanni, John

adjective zanier -·nier, zaniest -·ni·est

of or characteristic of a zany; specif.,
  1. comical in an extravagantly ludicrous or slapstick manner
  2. foolish or crazy

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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