adj.
(zanier, zaniest)
amusingly unconventional and idiosyncratic.
n.
- a zany person.
- historical a comic performer partnering a clown, whom he imitated in an amusing way.
Derivative
Etymology
C16: from Fr. zani or Ital. zan(n)i, Venetian form of Gianni, Giovanni ‘John’, stock name of the servants acting as clowns in the commedia dell'arte.
