zanyyoudaoicibaDictYouDict[zany 词源字典]
zany: [16] Zany originated as the name of a character in the old Italian commedia dell’arte, who tried, rather feebly, to mimic the antics of the clown. It came from Italian Zanni, a Venetian and Lombardic variant of Gianni, the pet form of Giovanni (the Italian equivalent of English John). Its meaning was broadened out to ‘buffoon’ in the 17th century, but it does not seem to have really established itself as an adjective until the mid 19th century.
=> john[zany etymology, zany origin, 英语词源]
zany (n.)youdaoicibaDictYouDict
comic performer, 1580s, from French zani, from Italian zani, zanni "a zany, clown," originally Zanni, Venetian dialect variant of Gianni, pet form of Giovanni "John;" thus equivalent to English Jack. A stock character in old comedies, he aped the principal actors.
zany (adj.)youdaoicibaDictYouDict
1610s, from zany (n.). Related: Zanily; zaniness.