funnyman en · NOUN
Etymology
Etymology tree English fun Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -y English funny Proto-Indo-European *mon- Proto-Germanic *mann- Proto-West Germanic *mann Old English mann Middle English man Middle English -man English -man English funnyman From funny + -man.
Meanings
-
(informal) comedian
From 1970 to 1974 he was one of the most familiar funnymen in Chicago: by day a heavily promoted personality journalist, by night a "sit-down comic" with a devoted following.
1988 December 16, Albert Williams, “Club Dates: Bruce Vilanch returns from Hollywood”, in Chicago Reader:To get the party started a professional funnyman was hired.
As for Jones’s performance as Mandy Cohen, it united two leading facets of the funnyman’s repertoire: his fondness for female impersonation, and his passion for historical revisionism.
2020 January 22, Stuart Jeffries, “Terry Jones obituary”, in The Guardian:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| funny man | alternative | lexicographic | |
| funnymen | Number=Plur | lexicographic |