Fatuous
/ˈfætʃuəs/noun
Silly and pointless, often in an annoying or smug way.
Did you know?Fatuous comes from Latin *fatuus*, meaning “stupid” or “silly,” and it’s related to a whole family of words about foolishness in ancient Indo-European speech.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dʰeh₂-
“to put, place; also a root behind terms for setting or making”
Latin
Latin
fatuus
“silly, foolish, stupid”
Late Latin
Latin
fatuitas
“foolishness, silliness”
Middle English
English
fatuous
“foolish, stupid, insipid”
Modern English
English
fatuous
“silly and pointless, especially in a self-satisfied way”