nigaud

French

Etymology

From Nigodème, a dialectal variant of Nicodème (“Nicodemus”), the semantic connection being the unsavory character and reputation of Nicodemus in the New Testament.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ni.ɡo/

Adjective

nigaud (feminine nigaude, masculine plural nigauds, feminine plural nigaudes)

1. silly, dimwitted

Noun

nigaud m (plural nigauds)

1. nincompoop, goof, nitwit

Derived terms

• attrape-nigaud

Further reading

• “nigaud”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.