bozo

Meaning

Noun

• A stupid, foolish, or ridiculous person, especially a man.

Origin

• Attested since the 1910s in American English, of uncertain origin. The term may derive from Spanish bozal, a term originally for a recently-imported slave and then "someone who speaks (Spanish) poorly". The term is older than Bozo the Clown, introduced in 1946, and derivation from French bouseux , a derogative term for a farmer equivalent to "bumpkin" is phonologically problematic.