“fool” in Latin

A silly fellow or person, homo stultus: homo fatuus: homo insipiens: homo demens. [Vid: FOOLISH for SYN. of adjectives.] A great fool, homo stultissimus; homo stultior stultissimo (Plaut., Amph., 3, 2, 25); stultus bis terque (after Cic., Quint., Fr., 3, 8, extr.): a little fool, stultulus; homuncio (as term of contempt); capitulum (in a joking manner; e.g., a droll or amusing little fool; lepidum capitulum, in Ter. Eun., 3, 3, 25): to pretend to be a fool, stultitiam simulare: to play the fool, simulatorem stultitiae induere: to make a fool of anybody, aliquem stultum reddere; aliquem infatuare [if = deceive, take in, Vid:] : to act like a fool, stulte, stolide, dementer facere: to be fool enough to believe anything, stolide or dementer credere: to spend one’s time, money, etc., like a fool [Vid: “to FOOL away”]. I consider him a great fool indeed, who, etc., bis stulte facere duco, qui, etc.: unless they are absolute fools, nisi plane fatui sunt (Cic.): he made his pupils greater fools by half than they were when he received them, discipulos dimidio reddidit stultiores, quam acceperat: he is not such a fool as you would take him to be, praeter speciem sapit or callidus est (after Plaut., Most., 4, 2, 49,” praeter speciem stultus es”). (I see) you are no fool, haud stulte sapis. PROV. Every one has a fool in his sleeve [Vid: “has his HOBBY”]. O you good, easy fool! O tuam mansuetudinem!that man is an absolute fool, hoc homine nihil potest esse dementius. Leave off playing the fool in that way, quin tu mitte istas nugas or ineptias.

A person not in his right senses, mente captus: vesanus: delirus. [SYN. in MAD.]

Professional jester, coprea (at court): sannio (that amuses by gestures in general): scurra (a person who amused the company by his wit at the table of the rich Romans): maccus (in the Atellanic plays of the Romans, after Diom., 488, Putsch.). To play the fool *copreae personam tueri or sustinere; *copreae partes agere.

TRANS., ludere: ludibrio habere: ludificari (to make or render an object of derision): illudere (to make game of). To fool anybody with vain hopes, aliquem spe lactare et producere [ = deceive, cheat, Vid:] .

To fool away: to fool away one’s time, tempus perdere lasciviendo (after Ov., Met., 11, 286); tempore abuti: to fool away one’s money, effundere: profundere (to spend without use; e.g., pecuniam, patrimonium); dissipare (to dissipate; e.g., patrimonium, possessiones); lacerare (to ruin; e.g., rem suam, bona patria): to fool anybody out of his money, aliquem circumducere or circumvertere argento: aliquem emungere argento: perfabricare aliquem (all comedy only).

INTRANS., jocari: ludere: ludos facere: nugari: nugas agere (to commit absurdities): jocularia fundere: ridicula jactitare (the last two, Liv., 7, 7): to fool with anybody, cum aliquo ludere, jocari, joca agere.