zany

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   Amusingly unusual, silly, and unpredictable.

   The comedian is famous for his zany sense of humour and wild stunts.

2. 2
   noun

   A clown or buffoon, especially one who comically imitates another performer.

   In the old comedies, the zany would mimic every move the main clown made.

From Middle French zani, zanni, from Italian zanni (“a kind of masked clown character”), from Zanni, a Venetan form of Giovanni. Doublet of Zanni, John, and Giovanni.

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