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antic

Pronunciation: /ˈæn.tɪk/

The English word “antic” has 11 meanings listed here.

adjective

  1. Playful, funny, absurd.
  2. Grotesque, incongruous.
  3. Grotesque, bizarre

noun

  1. A grotesque representation of a figure; a gargoyle.
  2. A caricature.
  3. A ludicrous gesture or act; ridiculous behaviour; caper.
  4. A grotesque performer or clown, buffoon.
  5. A pose, often exaggerated, in anticipation of an action; for example, a brief squat before jumping

verb

  1. To perform antics, to caper.
  2. To make a fool of, to cause to look ridiculous.
  3. To perform (an action) as an antic; to mimic ridiculously.

Etymology

Probably from Italian antico (“ancient”), used to describe ancient wall paintings from classical times, from Latin antiquus (“venerable”). See also Italian grottesco (“grotesque”). Doublet of antique.

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.