Ninny
/ˈnɪni/noun
A foolish or silly person.
Did you know?The word 'ninny' may have derived from 'nincompoop', which implies a person lacking in knowledge or sense, possibly linked to the Latin for 'not knowing'.
Etymological Timeline
Late 17th Century
English
ninny
“Used to denote a fool or simpleton, possibly an alteration of 'ninnyhammer', another term for a foolish person.”
Late 17th Century
English
ninnyhammer
“A term meaning a fool, possibly a blend of 'ninny' and 'hammer', referring to a clumsy person.”
Early 16th Century
English
nincompoop
“An also foolish person, possibly derived from the Latin 'non compos mentis', meaning 'not of sound mind'.”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*nē-
“A root meaning 'to be not', indicating negation or absence.”
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