Fool

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /fuːl/

Definitions

1. A person who acts unwisely or lacks good judgment
2. Someone who is easily tricked or deceived by others
3. A person who behaves in a silly or ridiculous manner without considering the consequences

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "fool" is that its original sense was a bellows or a windbag. Latin "follis" meant a leather bag, bellows, or purse, and its figurative sense of an empty, puffed-up thing gave rise to the idea of a person who is hollow-headed. Through Old French "fol," meaning "mad" or "foolish," the word reached Middle English as "fol," and it displaced the native Old English "dwæs," which had meant something like "dull" or "stupid." The word also has a twin. "Fals" and "follis" are doublets of the same Latin source, so "false" and "fool" share a root despite their different routes into English. The verb sense, to trick or deceive someone, is a separate development, and it may be connected to the French verb "fouler," meaning "to trample," though this link is less certain.

Synonyms: idiot, dunce, buffoon, simpleton, clown

Antonyms: genius, sage, expert, master, intellect