Meanings
- datedhumorousAn archetypal character in the setting of a joke, typically portraited as naive and somewhat dull-witted.
No, Sillicus, farmers do not include chickens when speaking of their crops, or of their coups.
1890, The Harvard Lampoon, Vol. 21, page 393 more examples
Hoax—Does Sillicus know anything about music? Joax—No; he doesn't know the difference between a string orchestra and a rubber band.
1896, The Outlook, Vol. 53, page 1025Sillicus—Do you think we shall know each other in the hereafter? Cynicus—I hope so. Few of us really know each other here.
1906, Thomas A. Brown, Thomas Joseph Carey, The New Pun BookSillicus: There is honor among thieves. Cynicus: Nonsense! Thieves are just as bad as other people.
1912, Life, Vol. 60, page 2044
Origin
From silly + -cus, jokingly modelled after Latin names ending in -us.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Sillicus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Sillicus
“Sillicus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Sillicus. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Sillicus,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Sillicus.
Source: Sillicus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.