different between ignoramus vs oaf

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??n???e?m?s/
• Rhymes: -e?m?s

Etymology 1

After the ignorant lawyer Ignoramus, the titular character in the 1615 play Ignoramus by the English playwright Georges Ruggle; from Latin ign?r?mus (“we do not know, we are ignorant of”), the first-person plural present active indicative of ign?r? (“I do not know, I am unacquainted with, I am ignorant of”).

Alternative forms

• ignoramous

Noun

ignoramus (plural ignoramuses)

1. A totally ignorant person—unknowledgeable, uneducated, or uninformed; a fool.

Usage notes

The hyper-correct plural form ignorami is seen by most as humorous and non-standard, as the word derives from a Latin verb, not from a noun.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:ignoramus

Translations

Etymology 2

Directly from Latin ign?r?mus (“we do not know”).

Noun

ignoramus (plural ignoramuses)

1. (law, dated) A grand jury's ruling on an indictment when the evidence is determined to be insufficient to send the case to trial.

Anagrams

• origanums

Latin

Verb

ign?r?mus

1. first-person plural present active indicative of ign?r?

English

Alternative forms

• auf

Etymology

From auf, Old Norse álfr (“elf”) (whence Norwegian Bokmål alv). Doublet of elf.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /??f/
• (US) IPA^(key): /o?f/
• Rhymes: -??f

Noun

oaf (plural oafs or oaves)

1. (derogatory) A person, especially a large male, who is clumsy or a simpleton.

   Ouch! You dropped that box on my feet, you lumbering oaf!

2. (obsolete) An elf's child; a changeling left by fairies or goblins, hence, a deformed or foolish child.

Synonyms

• (clumsy or idiotic person): dummy, galoot, imbecile, lout, moron, fool

Derived terms

• oafish

Translations

References

Further reading

• oaf at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• FAO, Foa, OFA, fao, of a