What is "fool"

I.nounII.verbIII.adjective

Fool \Fool\, n. [Cf. F. fouler to tread, crush. Cf. 1st Foil.] A compound of gooseberries scalded and crushed, with cream; -- commonly called gooseberry fool.

Fool \Fool\, n. [OE. fol, n. & adj., F. fol, fou, foolish, mad; a fool, prob. fr. L. follis a bellows, wind bag, an inflated ball; perh. akin to E. bellows. Cf. Folly, Follicle.]

1. One destitute of reason, or of the common powers of understanding; an idiot; a natural.

2. A person deficient in intellect; one who acts absurdly, or pursues a course contrary to the dictates of wisdom; one without judgment; a simpleton; a dolt.

   Extol not riches, then, the toil of fools.
   --Milton.

   Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in no other.
   --Franklin.

3. (Script.) One who acts contrary to moral and religious wisdom; a wicked person.

   The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.
   --Ps. xiv. 1.

4. One who counterfeits folly; a professional jester or buffoon; a retainer formerly kept to make sport, dressed fantastically in motley, with ridiculous accouterments.

   Can they think me . . . their fool or jester?
   --Milton.

   April fool, Court fool, etc. See under April, Court, etc.

   Fool's cap, a cap or hood to which bells were usually attached, formerly worn by professional jesters.

   Fool's errand, an unreasonable, silly, profitless adventure or undertaking.

   Fool's gold, iron or copper pyrites, resembling gold in color.

   Fool's paradise, a name applied to a limbo (see under Limbo) popularly believed to be the region of vanity and nonsense. Hence, any foolish pleasure or condition of vain self-satistaction.

   Fool's parsley (Bot.), an annual umbelliferous plant ( [AE]thusa Cynapium) resembling parsley, but nauseous and poisonous.

   To make a fool of, to render ridiculous; to outwit; to shame. [Colloq.]

   To play the fool, to act the buffoon; to act a foolish part. ``I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly.''
   --1 Sam. xxvi. 21.

Fool \Fool\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Fooled; p. pr. & vb. n. Fooling.] To play the fool; to trifle; to toy; to spend time in idle sport or mirth.

Is this a time for fooling?
--Dryden.

Fool \Fool\, v. t.

1. To infatuate; to make foolish.
   --Shak.

   For, fooled with hope, men favor the deceit.
   --Dryden.

2. To use as a fool; to deceive in a shameful or mortifying manner; to impose upon; to cheat by inspiring foolish confidence; as, to fool one out of his money.

   You are fooled, discarded, and shook off By him for whom these shames ye underwent.
   --Shak.

   To fool away, to get rid of foolishly; to spend in trifles, idleness, folly, or without advantage.

early 13c., "silly, stupid, or ignorant person," from Old French fol "madman, insane person; idiot; rogue; jester," also "blacksmith's bellows," also an adjective meaning "mad, insane" (12c., Modern French fou), from Medieval Latin follus (adj.) "foolish," from Latin follis "bellows, leather bag" (see follicle).\n

\nThe sense evolution probably is from Vulgar Latin use of follis in a sense of "windbag, empty-headed person." Compare also Sanskrit vatula- "insane," literally "windy, inflated with wind." But some sources suggest evolution from Latin folles "puffed cheeks" (of a buffoon), a secondary sense from plural of follis. One makes the "idiot" sense original, the other the "jester" sense.\n\nThe word has in mod.Eng. a much stronger sense than it had at an earlier period; it has now an implication of insulting contempt which does not in the same degree belong to any of its synonyms, or to the derivative foolish.

[OED]

\nAlso used in Middle English for "sinner, rascal, impious person" (late 13c.). Meaning "jester, court clown" in English is attested c.1300, though it is not always possible to tell whether the reference is to a professional entertainer counterfeiting mental weakness or an amusing lunatic, and the notion of the fool sage whose sayings are ironically wise is also in English from c.1300. The French word probably also got into English via its borrowing in the Scandinavian languages of the vikings (Old Norse fol, Old Danish fool, fol). \n\nThere is no foole to the olde foole ["Proverbs of John Heywood," 1546]\nTo make a fool of (someone) "cause to appear ridiculous" is from 1620s (make fool "to deceive, make (someone) appear a fool" is from early 15c.). Feast of Fools (early 14c., from Medieval Latin festum stultorum) was the burlesque festival celebrated in some churches on New Year's Day in medieval times. Fool's gold "iron pyrite" is from 1829. Fool's paradise "illusory state of happiness" is from mid-15c. Fool-trap is from 1690s. Foolosopher, a useful insult, is in a 1549 translation of Erasmus. Fool's ballocks is described in OED as "an old name" for the green-winged orchid. Fool-killer "imaginary personage invested with authority to put to death anybody notoriously guilty of great folly" is from 1851, American English.\n\nFool killer, a great American myth imagined by editors, who feign that his or its services are greatly needed, and frequently alluded to as being "around" or "in town" when some special act of folly calls for castigation. Whether the fool-killer be an individual or an instrument cannot always be gathered from the dark phraseology in which he or it is alluded to; but the weight of authority would sanction the impersonal interpretation.

[Walsh, "Handy-Book of Literary Curiosities," 1892]

mid-14c., "to be foolish, act the fool," from fool (n.1). The transitive meaning "make a fool of" is recorded from 1590s. Sense of "beguile, cheat" is from 1640s. Also as a verb 16c.-17c. was foolify. Related: Fooled; fooling. Fool around is 1875 in the sense of "pass time idly," 1970s in sense of "have sexual adventures."

c.1200, "sinful, wicked; lecherous" (a fool woman (c.1300) was "a prostitute"), from fool (n.1). Meaning "foolish, silly" is mid-13c. In modern use considered U.S. colloquial.\n\n

type of custard dish, 1590s, of uncertain origin. The food also was called trifle, which may be the source of the name (via verb and noun senses of fool). OED utterly rejects derivation from Old French fole "a pressing."

n. 1 (context pejorative English) A person with poor judgment or little intelligence. 2 (context historical English) A jester; a person whose role was to entertain a sovereign and the court (or lower personages). 3 (context informal English) Someone who derives pleasure from something specified. 4 (context cooking English) A type of dessert made of puréed fruit and custard or cream. 5 (context often capitalized '''Fool''' English) A particular card in a tarot deck. vb. 1 To trick; to make a fool of someone. 2 To play the fool; to trifle; to toy; to spend time in idle sport or mirth.

1. n. a person who lacks good judgment [syn: sap, saphead, muggins, tomfool]

2. a person who is gullible and easy to take advantage of [syn: chump, gull, mark, patsy, fall guy, sucker, soft touch, mug]

3. a professional clown employed to entertain a king or nobleman in the middle ages [syn: jester, motley fool]

1. v. make a fool or dupe of [syn: gull, befool]

2. spend frivolously and unwisely; "Fritter away one's inheritance" [syn: fritter, frivol away, dissipate, shoot, fritter away, fool away]

3. fool or hoax; "The immigrant was duped because he trusted everyone"; "You can't fool me!" [syn: gull, dupe, slang, befool, cod, put on, take in, put one over, put one across]

4. indulge in horseplay; "Enough horsing around--let's get back to work!"; "The bored children were fooling about" [syn: horse around, arse around, fool around]

Fool, The Fool, or Fools may refer to:

• A bouffon, a clown, a harlequin, a jester

Fool, The Fool, or Fools may also refer to:

"Fool (If You Think It's Over)" is the title of a popular song from 1978 by the British singer-songwriter Chris Rea. Rea also wrote the song, which appears on his 1978 debut album, Whatever Happened to Benny Santini?

Fool is the eleventh novel by Christopher Moore, released on February 10, 2009.

The novel takes its premise from the plot of Shakespeare's play King Lear, narrated from the perspective of the character of the Fool, whose name is Pocket.

In the course of the novel are references to other Shakespeare plays, ranging from short quotations to whole characters—most notably the three witches from Macbeth. While the style of Fool is directed at an American audience, the author incorporates at times Shakespearean vocabulary, archaic syntax, and modern British slang, and obscure cultural terms relating to medieval life, which are explained in footnotes. In addition, Moore invents humorous British-style place-names for fictitious locations in the story.

This novel was followed by a sequel, The Serpent of Venice, released in 2014, which combines characters and plot elements from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice and Othello, and Poe's The Cask of Amontillado, while keeping the perspective of Pocket.

There are several distinct, although overlapping categories of fool as a stock character in creative works (literature, film, etc.) and folklore: simpleton fool, clever fool, and serendipitous fool.

"Fool" is a song by the English alternative rock band Mansun. The song was written by band-leader Paul Draper. It was recorded and produced by Hugh Padgham with co-producer Michael Hunter during sessions for the group's third studio album. The song was released as the third and final single in early 2001 from the group's third album, Little Kix. The single disappointed commercially reaching the low peak of #28 on the UK Singles Chart during the typically quiet post-Christmas singles market.

The music video for "Fool" was directed by Phil Harder.

Paul Draper was particularly dismissive of the track calling it his 'least favourite Mansun track'. Writing in the liner-notes to Legacy: The Best of Mansun, he describes "Fool" as an ironic song inspired by a book on songwriting by Jimmy Webb. The song played a part in further straining relations between Draper and the label: ' Bowie intro, comical chorus lyrics and guess what? The label ( Parlophone) wanted it as a fucking single! I couldn't believe it.'