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za·ny

(zānē)

adj. za·ni·er, za·ni·est

Comical or ludicrous because of incongruity or strangeness.

n. pl. za·nies

1. A comical person given to extravagant or outlandish behavior.

2. A ludicrous, buffoonish character in old comedies who attempts feebly to mimic the tricks of the clown.

[French zani, from Italian dialectal zanni, from Zanni, variant of Italian Gianni, nickname for Giovanni, John, the name of servants who act as clowns in commedia dell'arte.]

zani·ly adv.

zani·ness n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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