Nincompoop origin

Another frequent spelling through 18c.

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nincompoop. Send us feedback about these examples. Accessed 18 Mar. Nglish: Translation of nincompoop for Spanish Speakers. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! See Definitions and Examples ».

Nincompoop origin

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary. WOTD — 30 April 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]. O you huffing Son of a Whore. You rotten Jack in a box. You foul mouth'd Nickumpoop. Chiswell, S. Sprint, R. Battersby, S. Smith, and B. Walford, M. Wotton and G. Becket and P.

The verb in this sense nincompoop origin frombut the same word in the sense "to break wind softly" is attested from ; earlier "to make a short blast on a horn" poupenlate 14c, nincompoop origin. The first edition of the OED concluded that the word was simply a fanciful formation.

The good Dr Johnson, in his famous Dictionary of , said it was from Latin non compos , as in the medical and legal phrase non compos mentis , not mentally competent. The first edition of the OED concluded that the word was simply a fanciful formation. Such a stretched derivation from a foreign language is typical of a type of folk etymology that turns up a lot. Though there was once an English verb poop , to fool or cheat, and it did come from Dutch poep , the original Dutch word meant a shit or a fart — the English slang poop for faeces comes from this. The association with a fool came through a slang use of the word by the Dutch in the seventeenth century for a migrant worker from northern Germany.

Another frequent spelling through 18c. Despite the similarity [noted by Johnson] to the Latin legal phrase non compos mentis "insane, mentally incompetent" c. Weekley thinks first element may be a proper name, and cites Nicodemus , which he says was used in French for "a fool," or Nicholas. Klein says it is probably an invented word. Century Dictionary has no objection to the non compos mentis theory. Nick of time is attested by s nick of opportunity is s , possibly from an old custom of recording time as it passed by making notches on a tally stick, though nick in the general sense of "critical moment" is older s, Hanmer, who adds "as commonly we say" than the phrase. Nick n. The verb in this sense is from , but the same word in the sense "to break wind softly" is attested from ; earlier "to make a short blast on a horn" poupen , late 14c.

Nincompoop origin

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun nincompoop. To continue reading, please sign in below or purchase a subscription. After purchasing, please sign in below to access the content. Sign in with library card. Sign in as administrator on Oxford Academic. Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into nincompoop, n. Please include your email address if you are happy to be contacted about your feedback.

Günbatımı nasıl yazılır

Facebook LinkedIn Twitter. Namespaces Entry Discussion. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an individual user may print out a PDF of a single entry from a reference work in OR for personal use for details see Privacy Policy and Legal Notice. The British love for silly-sounding words is probably one of the most important factors in the longevity of this particular s phrase. Modern Dutch speakers use nicht specifically for a niece, not just any female relative, but it is also slang for an effeminate homosexual. Another frequent spelling through 18c. Skip to main content. Post the Definition of nincompoop to Facebook Facebook. First Known Use. Cite this Entry.

Nicodemus secretly visited Jesus one night to hear about his teachings.

Smith, and B. Sign in You could not be signed in, please check and try again. Public users are able to search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter without a subscription. And yes i do hear the 21st generation occasionally use it. Homophones, Homographs, and Homonyms. Nick n. The good Dr Johnson, in his famous Dictionary of , said it was from Latin non compos , as in the medical and legal phrase non compos mentis , not mentally competent. Accessed 18 Mar. All rights reserved. Send us feedback about these examples. Select format to download citation. There are no adverts on this site. Read More. The Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins 2 ed.