"foolish, stupid," 1530s, from Latin fatuus "foolish, insipid, silly;" which is of uncertain origin. Buck suggests originally "stricken" in the head. But de Vaan says from Proto-Italic *fatowo- "of speech," from the PIE root of fame (n.).
[I]f we connect the fact that Fatuus is said to be an alternative name for Faunus, and that he predicted the future, and that this god is attested on an Etruscan mirror as Fatuvs in a clear oracular function (Weiss 2007b), we may venture a derivation from forfor 'to say' (Untermann 2000). The name of the god would then have come to be used pejoratively as 'silly'. [de Vaan]
Related: Fatuously; fatuousness.
中文解释
【记】fat + tu 音：土→又肥又土→愚昧形象
实用例句
1. The Chief was left speechless by this fatuous remark.
这句傻话让主任一时说不出话来。来自辞典例句
2. What a fatuous remark!
多么愚蠢的话 呀 !来自辞典例句
3. Why did the fatuous King send him into exile?
昏庸的楚王为什么把屈原流放了?来自互联网
4. Television commercials seem more smug and fatuous than ever.
