DOOFUS

dimwit, nitwit, half-wit, doofus

(noun) a stupid incompetent person

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Perhaps an alteration of earlier goofus (first attested in the 1920s), due to influence from Scots doof ("simpleton"). Scots doof is derived from Low Saxon doof ("deaf"), which has a secondary sense: "idiotic". The Low Saxon word is cognate with English deaf.

Some have proposed that perhaps dupe played some kind of role in the development of doofus as well.

Goofus appears to be a fanciful extension of goof, perhaps taking its ending from ignoramus. Goof likely originated as an alteration of the (now obsolete) English goff ("a clown")—compare English geek, which originated as an alteration of geck ("simpleton")—but any of its history prior to that is up for debate, and difficult to precisely trace.

Noun

doofus (plural doofuses or doofi)

(slang) A person with poor judgment and taste.

Synonyms

• (person with poor judgement and taste): boob, dolt, blockhead, lowbrow, oaf

Source: Wiktionary



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Word of the Day

3 April 2025

WHOLE

(noun) an assemblage of parts that is regarded as a single entity; “how big is that part compared to the whole?”; “the team is a unit”


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Coffee Trivia

Coffee dates back to the 9th century. Goat herders in Ethiopia noticed their goats seem to be “dancing” after eating berries from a particular shrub. They reported it to the local monastery, and a monk made a drink out of it. The monk found out he felt energized and kept him awake at night. That’s how the first coffee drink was born.

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