nincompoop n : a stupid foolish person [syn: poop, ninny]

English

Etymology

Earlier (1676) nicompoop, possibly from Latin non compos mentis, "not of sound mind", although the lack of the second n in the early form and the original meaning of "fop" cast doubt on this origin.

Pronunciation

Noun

1. A silly or foolish person.
   • 1905: Baroness Emmuska Orczy, The Scarlet Pimpernel http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/ot2www-pubeng?specfile=/texts/english/modeng/publicsearch/modengpub.o2w&act=surround&offset=507211157&tag=Orczy,+Baroness:+The+Scarlet+Pimpernel,+1905&query=+nincompoop&id=OrcPimp

     No wonder that Chauvelin's spies had failed to detect, in the apparently brainless nincompoop, the man whose reckless daring and resourceful ingenuity had baffled the keenest French spies...

Synonyms

• sense foolish person dunderhead, fop, fool, imbecile

Translations

• Danish: fjols, skvadderhoved, idiot
• Dutch: lomperd, domoor, stommeling, oetlul
• Finnish: tollo, tolvana, tohelo
• French: crétin, abruti, demeuré, cornichon
• German: Dummkopf , Einfaltspinsel , Trottel
• Polish: głupiec
• Swedish: idiot, pucko, dumhuvud, dumbom,

Related terms

• ninny
• noncompos

Boeotian, ass, block, clod, dimwit, dolt, donkey, dope, dullard, dumb cluck, dumbbell, dummy, dunce, gowk, idiot, imbecile, jackass, jerk, jobbernowl, lackwit, lamebrain, lightweight, looby, loon, niais, ninny, ninnyhammer, nitwit, noddy, put, stupid, thickwit, tomfool, witling