From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Zany \Za"ny\, noun; pl. {Zanies}. [It. zanni a buffoon, merry-andrew, orig. same as Giovanni John, i. e., merry John, L. Ioannes, Gr. ?, Heb. Y[=o]kh[=a]n[=a]n, prop., the Lord graciously gave: cf. F. zani, fr. the Italian. Cf. {Jenneting}.] A merry-andrew; a buffoon.
Then write that I may follow, and so be Thy echo, thy debtor, thy foil, thy zany. --Donne.
Preacher at once, and zany of thy age. --Pope.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Zany \Za"ny\, verb (used with an object) To mimic. [Obs.]
Your part is acted; give me leave at distance To zany it. --Massinger.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
adjective
1: pungent adjectives of disesteem; "gave me a cockamamie reason for not going"; "wore a goofy hat"; "a silly idea"; "some wacky plan for selling more books" [syn: {cockamamie}, {cockamamy}, {goofy}, {sappy}, {silly}, {wacky}, {whacky}, {unreasonable}]
2: like a clown; "a buffoonish walk"; "a clownish face"; "a zany sense of humor" [syn: {buffoonish}, {clownish}, {clowlike}]
noun
1: a buffoon in one of the old comedies; imitates others for ludicrous effect
2: a man who is a stupid incompetent fool [syn: {fathead}, {goof}, {goofball}, {bozo}, {jackass}, {goose}, {cuckoo}, {twat}] [also: {zaniest}, {zanier}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
109 Moby Thesaurus words for "zany": Columbine, Hanswurst, Harlequin, Pantalone, Pantaloon, Polichinelle, Pulcinella, Punch, Punchinello, Scaramouch, absurd, ament, amusing, ass, banana, born fool, buffo, buffoon, burlesquer, card, caricaturist, clown, clownish, comedian, comic, comical, crackpot, crazy, cretin, cutup, doodle, egregious ass, epigrammatist, exhibitionist, farceur, figure of fun, fool, foolish, frolicsome, funny, funnyman, gag writer, gagman, gagster, gay, goofy, half-wit, harlequin, hilarious, humorist, idiot, ignoramus, imbecile, inane, ironist, jack-pudding, jackass, jester, joker, jokesmith, jokester, kooky, lampooner, loony, ludicrous, lunatic, mad, madcap, merry, merry-andrew, milksop, mooncalf, moron, motley, motley fool, natural, nonsensical, nut, nutty, parodist, perfect fool, pickle-herring, playful, practical joker, prankster, punner, punster, quipster, reparteeist, satirist, schmuck, screwball, show-off, silly, simpleton, slapstick, softhead, sop, sportive, stupid ass, tomfool, trickster, wacky, wag, wagwit, wild, wisecracker, wit, witling
From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993) [devils]:
ZANY, noun A popular character in old Italian plays, who imitated with ludicrous incompetence the _buffone_, or clown, and was therefore the ape of an ape; for the clown himself imitated the serious characters of the play. The zany was progenitor to the specialist in humor, as we to-day have the unhappiness to know him. In the zany we see an example of creation; in the humorist, of transmission. Another excellent specimen of the modern zany is the curate, who apes the rector, who apes the bishop, who apes the archbishop, who apes the devil.
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