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   What does Tomfool mean?

   • Tomfool means a great fool or a trifling fellow. The term is also used to denote foolish trifling or jesting or buffoonery. Tomfoolish is an adjective meaning foolish.

   What does tomfool mean? - Definitions.net

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   Where did the name tomfoolery come from?

   • However, the origins of "tomfoolery" likely predate this one, very nasty Tom. As it turns out, "Tom" was a name used for centuries before Thomas Skelton to describe anybody who was, well, an idiot. "Tom Fool" was a general, catch-all name similar to how we might say, "He's a real Joe Blow" to talk about bland, generic guys.

   The Origin Behind The Word 'Tomfoolery' - Grunge

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   When was tomfoolery invented?

   • The earliest known use of the noun tomfoolery is in the 1810s. OED's earliest evidence for tomfoolery is from 1812, in a text by Horatio Smith, writer and humorist, and James Smith, writer and humorist. tomfoolery is formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: tomfool n., ‑ery suffix.

   tomfoolery, n. meanings, etymology and more - Oxford English Dictiona…

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   When did Tom Fool become a 'tomfoolery'?

   • The noun generally describing Tom Fool's actions, "tomfoolery," didn't appear in print until the 1800s. "Tomfoolery" is a bit silly, but harmless, maybe a bit embarrassing (both to the watcher and the doer), but isn't mean-spirited.

   The Origin Behind The Word 'Tomfoolery' - Grunge

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   What does tomfoolery mean?

   • See also: "tomcatfoolery." Standing on a rolling chair with a bucket on your head and having a friend spin you around: no, that's just being an idiot. So "tomfoolery" is a bit silly, but harmless, maybe a bit embarrassing (both to the watcher and the doer), but isn't mean-spirited.

   The Origin Behind The Word 'Tomfoolery' - Grunge

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   How is tomfoolery formed?

   • tomfoolery is formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: tomfool n., ‑ery suffix. tomids, adv. & prep.

   tomfoolery, n. meanings, etymology and more - Oxford English Dictiona…

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2. www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › tomfoolTomfool Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

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   Word History. Etymology. Noun. earlier Tom foole, from Tom, shortened form of Thomas, a proper name + foole fool entry 1. Note: The word was perhaps originally an appellation for a jester. The account rolls of Durham Abbey record disbursements made for a certain Thome Fole (also in Latin as Thomas Fatuus), presumably the name of a professional ...

3. www.grunge.com › 681572The Origin Behind The Word 'Tomfoolery' - Grunge

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   Dec 8, 2021 · Well, as World Wide Words explains, there was once a legendary fool named Thomas Skelton, entertainer to the Pennington family at Muncaster Castle in Cumbria, England, north of Manchester, who lived around 1600. If stories are to be believed, Skelton wasn't necessarily as harmless as tomfoolery.

4. www.etymonline.com › word › tom-fooltom-fool | Etymology of tom-fool by etymonline

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   May 2, 2024 · tom-fool. (n.) also tom-fool, "buffoon, clown, trifler," 1640s, from Middle English Thom Foole, a personification of or quasi-personal name for a mentally deficient man or a jester (mid-14c.), see Tom + fool (n.). By 18c. treated as an emphatic of fool. also from 1640s.

5. www.etymonline.com › word › tomfoolerytomfoolery | Etymology of tomfoolery by etymonline

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   May 2, 2024 · early 13c., "mental weakness; foolish behavior or character; unwise conduct" (in Middle English including wickedness, lewdness, madness), from Old French folie "folly, madness, stupidity" (12c.), from fol (see fool (n.)). From c. 1300 as "an example of foolishness;" sense of "cos.

6. www.oed.com › dictionary › tomfoolery_ntomfoolery, n. meanings, etymology and more | Oxford English ...

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   OED's earliest evidence for tomfoolery is from 1812, in a text by Horatio Smith, writer and humorist, and James Smith, writer and humorist. tomfoolery is formed within English, by derivation. Etymons: tomfool n., ‑ery suffix. See etymology.

7. dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionaryTOMFOOLERY | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary

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   TOMFOOLERY | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary. Meaning of tomfoolery in English. tomfoolery. noun [ U ] old-fashioned us / ˌtɑːmˈfuː.lɚ.i / uk / ˌtɒmˈfuː.l ə r.i / Add to word list. silly behavior, especially done as a joke. See also. foolery old-fashioned. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Stupid and silly behavior. antics

8. www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › tomfooleryTomfoolery Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

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   Tomfoolery as a term for playful or foolish behavior didn’t come into use until the early 19th century, but it’s proven to be of far more use to English speakers than tomfool. Synonyms buffoonery