zany
adjective
- comical or ludicrous because of incongruity or strangeness
- being or having the characteristics of a zany
noun
- a comical person given to extravagant or outlandish behavior
- a ludicrous, buffoonish character in old comedies who attempts feebly to mimic the tricks of the clown
- (archaic) a person who fawns over another person : a servile follower : toady
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈzeɪni/
adj
Etymology: From Middle French zani, zanni, from Italian zanni (“a kind of masked clown character”), from Zanni, a Venetian form of Giovanni. Doublet of Zanni, John, and Giovanni.
- Unusual and awkward in a funny, comical manner; outlandish; clownish.
“And I will admit now but never then that, more than once, listening to the Viennese chattering their zany German on the pavements, or taking himself to one of the struggling small theatres that were cropping up in cellars and bombed houses...”
“Press articles emphasized his [Dizzy Gillespie's] ambassadorial role and drew attention to the paradox that he was a shrewd musician and leader despite his zany image.”
- Ludicrously or incongruously comical.
noun
Etymology: From Middle French zani, zanni, from Italian zanni (“a kind of masked clown character”), from Zanni, a Venetian form of Giovanni. Doublet of Zanni, John, and Giovanni.
- A fool or clown, especially one whose business on the stage is to imitate foolishly the actions of the principal clown.
“Then write that I may follow, and so be / Thy echo, thy debtor, thy foil, thy zany.”
“O great restorer of the good old stage, / Preacher at once, and Zany of thy age!”
verb
Etymology: From Middle French zani, zanni, from Italian zanni (“a kind of masked clown character”), from Zanni, a Venetian form of Giovanni. Doublet of Zanni, John, and Giovanni.
- To mimic foolishly.