Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “zany” come from?

Zany comes from Middle French zani, from Italian zanni, a stock comic character derived from the name Zanni, a Venetian form of Giovanni, ultimately from Latin Iohannes and Ancient Greek Ἰωάννης, which comes from Hebrew יהוה.

zany (English): Unusual and awkward in a funny, comical manner;...

Definitions

  1. Unusual and awkward in a funny, comical manner;...

Ancestry of “zany”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchzani—
2ItalianzanniA character type representing a servant who is...
3ItalianZanni—
4ItalianGiovanniJohn
5LatinIōhannēs—
6LatinIōannēs—
7Ancient GreekἸωάννης—
8HebrewיוחנןYahweh is gracious
9Hebrewחנוןgracious, merciful, compassionate; passive...
10Moroccan Arabicخنونة—
11Arabicخُنَّة—

Words derived from “zany”

  • zaniness
  • zanily
  • zanyism
  • outzany
  • zanyish
  • unzany
Every word from Arabic خُنَّة →