English Words in Action, Group Z +

1. We prefer zany (clownish) comedy to sophisticated humor.
2. Don't be such a zany (bizarre), be serious for a change.

Giovanni (John) was for a long time a common name in Italy, and in Venice a pet name for Giovanni is Zanni.

Venetians must have had a lot of servants called Zanni because the name became associated with a type of clown or buffoon who played humorous servants in early Italian comedies or a commedia dell'arte.

From this clownish character, the zanni, we get the English word zany.

1. Is the North Star really at the zenith (point in the sky directly overhead) of the north pole?
2. Being elected mayor was the zenith (highest point) of his political career.
3. The British Empire was at its zenith (peak) in the 19th century.

Zenith came from Arabic samt, "path (over the head)". The Arabic samt became the English zenith because a medieval scribe copied the word samt incorrectly, making it "senit", which became our zenith.

Another explanation: about 1387, from Old French cenith then French zénith; which came from Medieval Latin (Latin as written and spoken c.700-c.1500) cenit, senit, a bungled scribal transliteration of Arabic samt, "road, path"; an abbreviation of samt ar-ras, literally, "the way over the head".