- Today's Word
Zany
[ZAY-nee]
Definition
- (adjective) Someone or something that is amusingly unconventional, bizarre, or foolish. It often refers to a person who behaves in a comically silly or unpredictable manner, or to situations that are humorously crazy or absurd.
Example
The children’s TV show host was known for his zany antics, which included wearing outrageous costumes and performing silly dances that kept his young audience entertained.
Fun Fact
The word “zany” has its roots in the Italian commedia dell’arte, a form of improvisational theater popular in 16th-century Italy. It comes from “zanni,” a character who was a foolish servant or clown, often acting as a foil to more sophisticated characters. The term “zanni” itself is believed to be a Venetian variant of the name “Giovanni.” Over time, “zany” evolved in English to describe any amusingly crazy or unconventional person or thing, not just in theatrical contexts.
(adjective) Lacking substance, interest, or mature thought; naive and simplistic in a way that reveals inexperience.
The critic dismissed the debut novel as jejune — competently written, technically adequate, and utterly devoid of anything worth remembering.
Jejune derives from the Latin jejunus, meaning “fasting” or “empty” — literally describing a stomach that has not been fed. The same root gives us jejunum, the section of the small intestine named for its tendency to be found empty after death. It entered English in the 17th century carrying its literal sense of emptiness before acquiring its figurative meaning of something intellectually or creatively hollow — content that has the form of nourishment without any of the substance.