fool

adj

Etymology: From Middle English fol (“fool”), from Old French fol (cf. modern French fou (“mad”)) from Latin follis. Doublet of fals and follis. Displaced native Old English dwæs.

1. Foolish.

   “Of all the fool, fruitless jobs, making anything of a creature that begins by deceiving her, is the foolest a sane woman ever undertook.”

   “That was a fool thing to do. You could have gotten yourself shot”

name

1. A surname.
2. Alternative letter-case form of fool (“a particular card in a tarot deck, representing a jester”).

noun

Etymology: From French fouler (“to trample”).

1. A type of dessert made of puréed fruit and custard or cream.

   “an apricot fool; a gooseberry fool”

   “Eton is renowned for its "messes," and "strawberry mess" is Empress of them all, with raspberry mess as a very good second. It does not at all convey the joys of a "mess" to say that it consists of iced fruit and cream, and somewhat resembles a "fool." It is a thing apart, and should be approached with bated breath and unimpaired capacity.”

verb

Etymology: From Middle English fol (“fool”), from Old French fol (cf. modern French fou (“mad”)) from Latin follis. Doublet of fals and follis. Displaced native Old English dwæs.

1. To trick; to deceive.

   “She bit it gently and found that it resembled a worm in no way whatsoever as to taste although because it was long and slender, a Little Red Hen might easily be fooled by its appearance.”

   “There appears to be no process of gradually fooling oneself while degrading standards so characteristic of the Solid Rocket Booster or Space Shuttle Main Engine safety systems.”

2. To act in an idiotic manner; to act foolishly.

   “1681/1682, John Dryden, The Spanish Fryar Is this a time for fooling?”

   “She's always complaining that she got stuck with the worst possible committee. And that me and Jimmy fool more than we work.”

3. To make a fool of; to make act the fool.

   “They fool me to the top of my bent.”