"Zelig" meaning in English

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "Zeligesque"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "Zelig-like"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From the surname of the character Leonard Zelig from the 1983 film Zelig who meets many famous people in the 1920s and 1930s and, apparently out of his desire to fit in and be liked, unwittingly takes on the characteristics of the strong personalities around him.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "Zeligs",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "Zelig (plural Zeligs)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "hyphenation": [
    "Ze‧lig"
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "52 48",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "82 18",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "People",
          "orig": "en:People",
          "parents": [
            "Human",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An ordinary person who can change their appearance or behaviour to suit their surroundings, especially one who is unexpectedly associated with important events or people."
      ],
      "id": "en-Zelig-en-noun-12YAVX3-",
      "links": [
        [
          "ordinary",
          "ordinary#Adjective"
        ],
        [
          "person",
          "person#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "change",
          "change#Verb"
        ],
        [
          "appearance",
          "appearance"
        ],
        [
          "behaviour",
          "behavior#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "suit",
          "suit#Verb"
        ],
        [
          "surroundings",
          "surroundings"
        ],
        [
          "unexpectedly",
          "unexpectedly"
        ],
        [
          "associated",
          "associate#Verb"
        ],
        [
          "important",
          "important"
        ],
        [
          "events",
          "event#Noun"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "chameleon"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "52 48",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An unimportant person who appears at multiple important events."
      ],
      "id": "en-Zelig-en-noun-ogtjWiA5",
      "links": [
        [
          "unimportant",
          "unimportant"
        ],
        [
          "appear",
          "appear"
        ],
        [
          "multiple",
          "multiple#Adjective"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈzɛlɪɡ/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American",
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "Zelig"
  ],
  "word": "Zelig"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English eponyms",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms derived from fiction",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "en:People"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "Zeligesque"
    },
    {
      "word": "Zelig-like"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From the surname of the character Leonard Zelig from the 1983 film Zelig who meets many famous people in the 1920s and 1930s and, apparently out of his desire to fit in and be liked, unwittingly takes on the characteristics of the strong personalities around him.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "Zeligs",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "Zelig (plural Zeligs)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "hyphenation": [
    "Ze‧lig"
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "An ordinary person who can change their appearance or behaviour to suit their surroundings, especially one who is unexpectedly associated with important events or people."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "ordinary",
          "ordinary#Adjective"
        ],
        [
          "person",
          "person#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "change",
          "change#Verb"
        ],
        [
          "appearance",
          "appearance"
        ],
        [
          "behaviour",
          "behavior#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "suit",
          "suit#Verb"
        ],
        [
          "surroundings",
          "surroundings"
        ],
        [
          "unexpectedly",
          "unexpectedly"
        ],
        [
          "associated",
          "associate#Verb"
        ],
        [
          "important",
          "important"
        ],
        [
          "events",
          "event#Noun"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "chameleon"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "An unimportant person who appears at multiple important events."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "unimportant",
          "unimportant"
        ],
        [
          "appear",
          "appear"
        ],
        [
          "multiple",
          "multiple#Adjective"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈzɛlɪɡ/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American",
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "Zelig"
  ],
  "word": "Zelig"
}