# fool

Pronunciation: US say "FOOL" /fuːl/; UK

## Noun

1. Someone lacking in sense or intelligence, or prone to bad judgment.
   - Simple: A person who shows poor judgment or does not think clearly.
   - _Any fool could see the plan was doomed from the start._
   - _He called himself a fool for trusting the salesman's promises._
4. A person who has been tricked or deceived; a dupe.
   - Simple: A person who has been tricked or cheated.
   - _He realized too late that he had been the fool in their scheme._
   - _When the investors learned the gold mine had never existed, they realized they had been played for fools._
5. A jester kept at court to amuse a ruler, or such a character in plays and stories, often wiser than he seems.
   - Simple: A person whose job was to make a king or queen laugh, or a funny character like this in plays.
   - _Shakespeare often gives the fool the wisest lines in the entire play._
   - _In the play, the king's fool mocks him openly, yet his jokes carry truths no courtier dares to speak._
6. An informal term of address used between friends, similar to 'buddy,' 'dude,' or 'man.' *(slang)*
   - Simple: A friendly way to call someone, like saying 'buddy' or 'man.'
   - _Yo fool, did you catch that last play of the game?_
   - _Thanks for the ride, fool, I owe you one._
8. A person who takes great pleasure in some specified thing. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: A person who loves a certain thing very much.
   - _He's a fool for fast cars and buys the newest model every year._
   - _My aunt is a fool for crossword puzzles and finishes one each morning._
9. In a tarot deck, the card called the Fool, usually unnumbered or numbered 0, whose figure ranges from a beggar or jester to a carefree young traveler.
   - Simple: A card in a tarot deck called the Fool, often marked with the number 0.
   - _The tarot reader laid the Fool face-up on the velvet cloth._
   - _Drawing the Fool, she paused to consider what it might mean._
10. A dessert made from puréed fruit folded into custard or cream.
   - Simple: A sweet dish made from mashed fruit mixed with cream or custard.
   - _Grandma whipped up a rhubarb fool for the summer party._
   - _A good fool balances tart fruit against sweet, airy cream._

## Verb

2. To trick or deceive someone, or make them look foolish.
   - Simple: To trick someone into believing something that is not true.
   - _Don't let those fake discount labels fool you into overspending._
   - _The magician fooled the entire audience with a single sleight of hand._
3. To act in a silly or foolish manner.
   - Simple: To behave in a silly or stupid way.
   - _Instead of rehearsing their lines, half the cast spent the evening fooling around backstage._
   - _Stop fooling and get back to work before the manager sees you._

## Adjective

7. Silly and unwise; showing a lack of good sense. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Silly and not sensible.
   - _Driving across the desert without any water was a fool thing to do._
   - _He had some fool notion that he could win without practicing._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–9** — Latin follis is the source, by way of Old French fol (compare modern French fou, "mad") and Middle English fole ("fool"). The word replaced native Old English dwæs, and fals and follis are its doublets.
**Meaning 10** — Of uncertain origin. A link with French fouler, 'to crush or press', is often suggested but doubted.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/fool (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).