See nincompoop on Wiktionary
Download JSON data for nincompoop meaning in All languages combined (18.9kB)
{
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en"
},
"expansion": "Uncertain",
"name": "uncertain"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "Nicholas"
},
"expansion": "Nicholas",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "Nicodemus"
},
"expansion": "Nicodemus",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "fr",
"2": "nicodème",
"t": "foolish or gullible person"
},
"expansion": "French nicodème (“foolish or gullible person”)",
"name": "noncog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ninny",
"t": "foolish or silly person"
},
"expansion": "ninny (“foolish or silly person”)",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "poop",
"t": "(obsolete) to cheat, deceive, fool"
},
"expansion": "poop (“(obsolete) to cheat, deceive, fool”)",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "2"
},
"expansion": "²",
"name": "sup"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "la",
"2": "non compos mentis",
"3": "non compos (mentis)",
"4": "not of sound mind"
},
"expansion": "Latin non compos (mentis) (“not of sound mind”)",
"name": "noncog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "nickumpoop"
},
"expansion": "nickumpoop",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "nicompoop"
},
"expansion": "nicompoop",
"name": "m"
}
],
"etymology_text": "Uncertain; the first element nincom- is possibly from the name Nicholas or Nicodemus (compare French nicodème (“foolish or gullible person”), from the Pharisee named Nicodemus mentioned in the Bible who asks Jesus seemingly naive questions: see John 3:1–21), or from ninny (“foolish or silly person”), while the second element -poop could be derived from poop (“(obsolete) to cheat, deceive, fool”). The English lexicographer Samuel Johnson (1709–1784) suggested that the first element might be from Latin non compos (mentis) (“not of sound mind”), but the Oxford English Dictionary notes that this does not correspond with early forms of the word from the 16th century such as nickumpoop and nicompoop.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "nincompoops",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "nincompoop (plural nincompoops)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"hyphenation": [
"nin‧com‧poop"
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
"parents": [
"Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "other",
"name": "Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations",
"parents": [
"Terms with redundant transliterations",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "People",
"orig": "en:People",
"parents": [
"Human",
"All topics",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w"
}
],
"derived": [
{
"word": "nincompoopish"
},
{
"word": "nincompoopism"
},
{
"word": "nincompoopery"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "[1662?], The Ship of Fools [...], London: Printed by J[ohn] W[inter] for J[ohn] Clark, […], →OCLC, title page",
"text": "The Ship of Fools Fully Fraught and Richly Laden with Asses, Fools, Jack-daws, Ninnihammers, Coxcombs, Slender-wits, Shallowbrains, Paper-Skuls, Simpletons, Nickumpoops, Wiseakers, Dunces, and Blockheads. Declaring their several Natures, Manners, and Constitutions; the occasion why this Ship was built, with the places of their intended Voyage, and a lift of the Officers that bear Command therein [book title].",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1674 (first performance), T[homas] Duffett, The Mock-Tempest: or The Enchanted Castle. […], London: Printed for William Cademan […], published 1675, →OCLC; republished in Montague Summers, “The New Tempest or The Enchanted Castle”, in Shakespeare Adaptations: The Tempest, The Mock Tempest, and King Lear. […], London: Jonathan Cape […], 1922, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 114",
"text": "Mous[trappa]. O you huffing Son of a Whore. / Drink[allup]. You rotten Jack in a box. / Bean[tosser]. You foul mouth'd Nickumpoop.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1680, M. T. [i.e., Matthew Stevenson], “Cydippe Her Answer to Acontius”, in The Wits Paraphras’d: Or, Paraphrase upon Paraphrase: In a Burlesque on the Several Late Translations of Ovids Epistles, London: Printed for Will[iam] Cademan […], →OCLC, page 161",
"text": "’Tis ſuch another Nincompoop, / I ſleep, and he begins to droop. / He ſees, yet keeps his Eyes a winking, / Says nought, but pays it off with thinking.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1706, Michael de Cervantes Saavedra [i.e., Miguel de Cervantes], “How Don Quixote Took His Leave of the Duke, and what Happen’d between Him and the Witty Wanton Altisidora, the Duchesses Damsel”, in John Stevens, transl., The History of the Most Ingenious Knight Don Quixote de la Mancha. […], 2nd revised and amended edition, volume II, London: Printed for R. Chiswell, S. and J. Sprint, R. Battersby, S. Smith, and B. Walford, M. Wotton and G. Conyers, →OCLC, page 335",
"text": "May'ſt thou paſs for a Nincumpoop all the World over, / From Paris to France, and from England to Dover.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1787 November, “Explanation of the Fifth Plate of Tristram Shandy. Corporal Trim’s Reflections on Mortality in the Kitchen, on the Death of Master Bobby.”, in The Gentleman’s and London Magazine: Or Monthly Chronologer, Dublin: Printed by John Exshaw, →OCLC, page 589, column 2",
"text": "[H]ad he dropped it [a hat] like a gooſe—like a puppy—like an aſs—or in doing it, or even after he had done, had he looked like a fool,—like a ninny—like a nicompoop—it had failed, and the effects upon the heart had been loſt.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1802, Joanna Baillie, “The Election: A Comedy, in Five Acts”, in A Series of Plays: In which It is Attempted to Delineate the Stronger Passions of the Mind. […], 2nd edition, volume II, London: Printed for T[homas] Cadell, Jun. and W[illiam] Davies, […], →OCLC, act I, scene i, pages 4–5",
"text": "What, do you give it up so? you poor, ſpiritleſs nincumpoops! I would roar till I burſted firſt, before I would give it up so to such a low-liv'd, beggarly rabble.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1965, Marius Nkwoh, Bribery and Corruption: Bane of Our Society, Aba, Abia, Nigeria: International Press, →OCLC, page 110",
"text": "Because of this situation, you find the idlers, the never-do-wells, the nicompoops, the unqualified and the misfits these days getting on better in life than their hardworking colleagues.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2019, John R. Brandt, “Overview: Are We Really Surrounded by Nincompoops?”, in Nincompoopery: Why Your Customers Hate You—and How to Fix It, New York, N.Y.: HarperCollins Leadership, pages 2–3",
"text": "Production failures, screw-ups, and faulty service aren't usually the fault of the supposed nincompoops with whom we're dealing but instead the Nincompoopery—i.e., the meta-foolishness—of the companies and systems in which they're forced to work. Ill-planned, outdated, or ludicrous organizational structures can turn even the most eager employee into a nincompoop, or at least force him or her to seem like one.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A foolish or silly person."
],
"id": "en-nincompoop-en-noun-twt7z~Rp",
"links": [
[
"derogatory",
"derogatory"
],
[
"foolish",
"foolish"
],
[
"silly",
"silly"
],
[
"person",
"person"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(derogatory) A foolish or silly person."
],
"related": [
{
"word": "nincun"
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "dunderhead"
},
{
"word": "fool"
},
{
"word": "imbecile"
},
{
"word": "nitwit"
},
{
"word": "gaby"
},
{
"word": "hammerhead"
},
{
"word": "putz"
},
{
"word": "fool"
},
{
"word": "nickumpoop"
},
{
"word": "nicompoop"
},
{
"tags": [
"obsolete"
],
"word": "nincumpoop"
}
],
"tags": [
"derogatory"
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "hy",
"lang": "Armenian",
"roman": "apuš",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "ապուշ"
},
{
"code": "hy",
"lang": "Armenian",
"roman": "himar",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "հիմար"
},
{
"code": "hy",
"lang": "Armenian",
"roman": "txmar",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "տխմար"
},
{
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "glupak",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "глупак"
},
{
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "babau"
},
{
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "beneit"
},
{
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "estúpid"
},
{
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "fava"
},
{
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "idiota"
},
{
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "imbècil"
},
{
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "panoli"
},
{
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "tonto"
},
{
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "ximple"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "bènrén",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "笨人"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "shǎzi",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "傻子"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "hlupák"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "idiot"
},
{
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "fjols"
},
{
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "idiot"
},
{
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "knallert"
},
{
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "skvadderhoved"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "domoor"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "lomperd"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "oetlul"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"rare"
],
"word": "oelewapper"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "stommeling"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "tohelo"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "tollo"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "tolvana"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "abruti"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "benêt"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "bercé trop près du mur"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "cloche"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "con"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "connard"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "cornichon"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "crétin"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "dadais"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "débile"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "demeuré"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "démoulé trop tôt"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "gourde"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "imbécile"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "mal cuit"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "niais"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "nigaud"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "ravi"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "simplet"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "sot"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "Dummkopf"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "Einfaltspinsel"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "Trottel"
},
{
"code": "el",
"lang": "Greek",
"roman": "koutorníthi",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "κουτορνίθι"
},
{
"code": "he",
"lang": "Hebrew",
"roman": "tipesh",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "טפש"
},
{
"code": "he",
"lang": "Hebrew",
"roman": "tipsha",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "טפשה"
},
{
"code": "hi",
"lang": "Hindi",
"roman": "sālā",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine",
"vulgar"
],
"word": "साला"
},
{
"code": "hi",
"lang": "Hindi",
"roman": "bevqūf",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "बेवक़ूफ़"
},
{
"code": "is",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "beinasni"
},
{
"code": "is",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "einfeldningur"
},
{
"code": "is",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "fábjáni"
},
{
"code": "is",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "fáviti"
},
{
"code": "is",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "fífl"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "babbeo"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "coglione"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "cretino"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "idiota"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "imbecille"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "stupido"
},
{
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "あんぽんたん"
},
{
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "うすらとんかち"
},
{
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "おたんちん"
},
{
"code": "mr",
"lang": "Marathi",
"roman": "ardhavaṭ",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "अर्धवट"
},
{
"code": "no",
"lang": "Norwegian",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "tullebukk"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "głupiec"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "bobo"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"feminine",
"masculine"
],
"word": "idiota"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"feminine",
"masculine"
],
"word": "imbecil"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"feminine",
"masculine"
],
"word": "palerma"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "tolo"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "duračók",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "дурачо́к"
},
{
"code": "sh",
"lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "glupan"
},
{
"code": "sh",
"lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "glupko"
},
{
"code": "sh",
"lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "idiot"
},
{
"code": "sh",
"lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "nesposobnjaković"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "bendito"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "bobo"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "ceporro"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "gilipollas"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "imbécil"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "lila"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "majadero"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "memo"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "panoli"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "papanatas"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "pasmarote"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "pavitonto"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "primo"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "sosaina"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "soso"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "tonto"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "dumbom"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "dumhuvud"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "flane"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "fjompa"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "idiot"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "nöt"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "pucko"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "störding"
},
{
"code": "tl",
"lang": "Tagalog",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "bobo"
}
],
"wikipedia": [
"Nicodemus",
"Oxford English Dictionary",
"Samuel Johnson"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈnɪŋkəmpuːp/",
"tags": [
"Received-Pronunciation"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈnɪŋkəmˌpup/",
"tags": [
"General-American"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈnɪn-/",
"tags": [
"General-American"
]
},
{
"audio": "En-us-nincompoop.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/7/7b/En-us-nincompoop.ogg/En-us-nincompoop.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/En-us-nincompoop.ogg",
"tags": [
"General-American"
],
"text": "Audio (GA)"
}
],
"word": "nincompoop"
}
{
"derived": [
{
"word": "nincompoopish"
},
{
"word": "nincompoopism"
},
{
"word": "nincompoopery"
}
],
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en"
},
"expansion": "Uncertain",
"name": "uncertain"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "Nicholas"
},
"expansion": "Nicholas",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "Nicodemus"
},
"expansion": "Nicodemus",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "fr",
"2": "nicodème",
"t": "foolish or gullible person"
},
"expansion": "French nicodème (“foolish or gullible person”)",
"name": "noncog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "ninny",
"t": "foolish or silly person"
},
"expansion": "ninny (“foolish or silly person”)",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "poop",
"t": "(obsolete) to cheat, deceive, fool"
},
"expansion": "poop (“(obsolete) to cheat, deceive, fool”)",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "2"
},
"expansion": "²",
"name": "sup"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "la",
"2": "non compos mentis",
"3": "non compos (mentis)",
"4": "not of sound mind"
},
"expansion": "Latin non compos (mentis) (“not of sound mind”)",
"name": "noncog"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "nickumpoop"
},
"expansion": "nickumpoop",
"name": "m"
},
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "nicompoop"
},
"expansion": "nicompoop",
"name": "m"
}
],
"etymology_text": "Uncertain; the first element nincom- is possibly from the name Nicholas or Nicodemus (compare French nicodème (“foolish or gullible person”), from the Pharisee named Nicodemus mentioned in the Bible who asks Jesus seemingly naive questions: see John 3:1–21), or from ninny (“foolish or silly person”), while the second element -poop could be derived from poop (“(obsolete) to cheat, deceive, fool”). The English lexicographer Samuel Johnson (1709–1784) suggested that the first element might be from Latin non compos (mentis) (“not of sound mind”), but the Oxford English Dictionary notes that this does not correspond with early forms of the word from the 16th century such as nickumpoop and nicompoop.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "nincompoops",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "nincompoop (plural nincompoops)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"hyphenation": [
"nin‧com‧poop"
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"related": [
{
"word": "nincun"
}
],
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English 3-syllable words",
"English countable nouns",
"English derogatory terms",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
"English lemmas",
"English nouns",
"English terms with IPA pronunciation",
"English terms with audio links",
"English terms with quotations",
"English terms with unknown etymologies",
"Mandarin terms with redundant transliterations",
"en:People"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "[1662?], The Ship of Fools [...], London: Printed by J[ohn] W[inter] for J[ohn] Clark, […], →OCLC, title page",
"text": "The Ship of Fools Fully Fraught and Richly Laden with Asses, Fools, Jack-daws, Ninnihammers, Coxcombs, Slender-wits, Shallowbrains, Paper-Skuls, Simpletons, Nickumpoops, Wiseakers, Dunces, and Blockheads. Declaring their several Natures, Manners, and Constitutions; the occasion why this Ship was built, with the places of their intended Voyage, and a lift of the Officers that bear Command therein [book title].",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1674 (first performance), T[homas] Duffett, The Mock-Tempest: or The Enchanted Castle. […], London: Printed for William Cademan […], published 1675, →OCLC; republished in Montague Summers, “The New Tempest or The Enchanted Castle”, in Shakespeare Adaptations: The Tempest, The Mock Tempest, and King Lear. […], London: Jonathan Cape […], 1922, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 114",
"text": "Mous[trappa]. O you huffing Son of a Whore. / Drink[allup]. You rotten Jack in a box. / Bean[tosser]. You foul mouth'd Nickumpoop.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1680, M. T. [i.e., Matthew Stevenson], “Cydippe Her Answer to Acontius”, in The Wits Paraphras’d: Or, Paraphrase upon Paraphrase: In a Burlesque on the Several Late Translations of Ovids Epistles, London: Printed for Will[iam] Cademan […], →OCLC, page 161",
"text": "’Tis ſuch another Nincompoop, / I ſleep, and he begins to droop. / He ſees, yet keeps his Eyes a winking, / Says nought, but pays it off with thinking.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1706, Michael de Cervantes Saavedra [i.e., Miguel de Cervantes], “How Don Quixote Took His Leave of the Duke, and what Happen’d between Him and the Witty Wanton Altisidora, the Duchesses Damsel”, in John Stevens, transl., The History of the Most Ingenious Knight Don Quixote de la Mancha. […], 2nd revised and amended edition, volume II, London: Printed for R. Chiswell, S. and J. Sprint, R. Battersby, S. Smith, and B. Walford, M. Wotton and G. Conyers, →OCLC, page 335",
"text": "May'ſt thou paſs for a Nincumpoop all the World over, / From Paris to France, and from England to Dover.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1787 November, “Explanation of the Fifth Plate of Tristram Shandy. Corporal Trim’s Reflections on Mortality in the Kitchen, on the Death of Master Bobby.”, in The Gentleman’s and London Magazine: Or Monthly Chronologer, Dublin: Printed by John Exshaw, →OCLC, page 589, column 2",
"text": "[H]ad he dropped it [a hat] like a gooſe—like a puppy—like an aſs—or in doing it, or even after he had done, had he looked like a fool,—like a ninny—like a nicompoop—it had failed, and the effects upon the heart had been loſt.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1802, Joanna Baillie, “The Election: A Comedy, in Five Acts”, in A Series of Plays: In which It is Attempted to Delineate the Stronger Passions of the Mind. […], 2nd edition, volume II, London: Printed for T[homas] Cadell, Jun. and W[illiam] Davies, […], →OCLC, act I, scene i, pages 4–5",
"text": "What, do you give it up so? you poor, ſpiritleſs nincumpoops! I would roar till I burſted firſt, before I would give it up so to such a low-liv'd, beggarly rabble.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "1965, Marius Nkwoh, Bribery and Corruption: Bane of Our Society, Aba, Abia, Nigeria: International Press, →OCLC, page 110",
"text": "Because of this situation, you find the idlers, the never-do-wells, the nicompoops, the unqualified and the misfits these days getting on better in life than their hardworking colleagues.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2019, John R. Brandt, “Overview: Are We Really Surrounded by Nincompoops?”, in Nincompoopery: Why Your Customers Hate You—and How to Fix It, New York, N.Y.: HarperCollins Leadership, pages 2–3",
"text": "Production failures, screw-ups, and faulty service aren't usually the fault of the supposed nincompoops with whom we're dealing but instead the Nincompoopery—i.e., the meta-foolishness—of the companies and systems in which they're forced to work. Ill-planned, outdated, or ludicrous organizational structures can turn even the most eager employee into a nincompoop, or at least force him or her to seem like one.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A foolish or silly person."
],
"links": [
[
"derogatory",
"derogatory"
],
[
"foolish",
"foolish"
],
[
"silly",
"silly"
],
[
"person",
"person"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(derogatory) A foolish or silly person."
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "dunderhead"
},
{
"word": "fool"
},
{
"word": "imbecile"
},
{
"word": "nitwit"
},
{
"word": "gaby"
},
{
"word": "hammerhead"
},
{
"word": "putz"
},
{
"word": "fool"
}
],
"tags": [
"derogatory"
],
"wikipedia": [
"Nicodemus",
"Oxford English Dictionary",
"Samuel Johnson"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈnɪŋkəmpuːp/",
"tags": [
"Received-Pronunciation"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈnɪŋkəmˌpup/",
"tags": [
"General-American"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈnɪn-/",
"tags": [
"General-American"
]
},
{
"audio": "En-us-nincompoop.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/7/7b/En-us-nincompoop.ogg/En-us-nincompoop.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/En-us-nincompoop.ogg",
"tags": [
"General-American"
],
"text": "Audio (GA)"
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "nickumpoop"
},
{
"word": "nicompoop"
},
{
"tags": [
"obsolete"
],
"word": "nincumpoop"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "hy",
"lang": "Armenian",
"roman": "apuš",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "ապուշ"
},
{
"code": "hy",
"lang": "Armenian",
"roman": "himar",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "հիմար"
},
{
"code": "hy",
"lang": "Armenian",
"roman": "txmar",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "տխմար"
},
{
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "glupak",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "глупак"
},
{
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "babau"
},
{
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "beneit"
},
{
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "estúpid"
},
{
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "fava"
},
{
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "idiota"
},
{
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "imbècil"
},
{
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "panoli"
},
{
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "tonto"
},
{
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "ximple"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "bènrén",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "笨人"
},
{
"code": "cmn",
"lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
"roman": "shǎzi",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "傻子"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "hlupák"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "idiot"
},
{
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "fjols"
},
{
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "idiot"
},
{
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "knallert"
},
{
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "skvadderhoved"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "domoor"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "lomperd"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "oetlul"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"rare"
],
"word": "oelewapper"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "stommeling"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "tohelo"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "tollo"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "tolvana"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "abruti"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "benêt"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "bercé trop près du mur"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "cloche"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "con"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "connard"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "cornichon"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "crétin"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "dadais"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "débile"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "demeuré"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "démoulé trop tôt"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "gourde"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "imbécile"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "mal cuit"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "niais"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "nigaud"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "ravi"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "simplet"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "sot"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "Dummkopf"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "Einfaltspinsel"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "Trottel"
},
{
"code": "el",
"lang": "Greek",
"roman": "koutorníthi",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "κουτορνίθι"
},
{
"code": "he",
"lang": "Hebrew",
"roman": "tipesh",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "טפש"
},
{
"code": "he",
"lang": "Hebrew",
"roman": "tipsha",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "טפשה"
},
{
"code": "hi",
"lang": "Hindi",
"roman": "sālā",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine",
"vulgar"
],
"word": "साला"
},
{
"code": "hi",
"lang": "Hindi",
"roman": "bevqūf",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "बेवक़ूफ़"
},
{
"code": "is",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "beinasni"
},
{
"code": "is",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "einfeldningur"
},
{
"code": "is",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "fábjáni"
},
{
"code": "is",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "fáviti"
},
{
"code": "is",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "fífl"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "babbeo"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "coglione"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "cretino"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "idiota"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "imbecille"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "stupido"
},
{
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "あんぽんたん"
},
{
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "うすらとんかち"
},
{
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "おたんちん"
},
{
"code": "mr",
"lang": "Marathi",
"roman": "ardhavaṭ",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "अर्धवट"
},
{
"code": "no",
"lang": "Norwegian",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "tullebukk"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "głupiec"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "bobo"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"feminine",
"masculine"
],
"word": "idiota"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"feminine",
"masculine"
],
"word": "imbecil"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"feminine",
"masculine"
],
"word": "palerma"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "tolo"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "duračók",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "дурачо́к"
},
{
"code": "sh",
"lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "glupan"
},
{
"code": "sh",
"lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "glupko"
},
{
"code": "sh",
"lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "idiot"
},
{
"code": "sh",
"lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "nesposobnjaković"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "bendito"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "bobo"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "ceporro"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "gilipollas"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "imbécil"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "lila"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "majadero"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "memo"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "panoli"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "papanatas"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "pasmarote"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "pavitonto"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "primo"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "sosaina"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "soso"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "tonto"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "dumbom"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "dumhuvud"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "flane"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "fjompa"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "idiot"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "nöt"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "pucko"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "störding"
},
{
"code": "tl",
"lang": "Tagalog",
"sense": "foolish or silly person",
"word": "bobo"
}
],
"word": "nincompoop"
}
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-10 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (a644e18 and edd475d). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.