Ninkempoop

[beagle]

Does anyone know the origins of the word ninkempoop?

[amarillis]

At the risk of sounding like a nincompoop, and despite the protestations of generations of lexicographers that the term's origins are unknown, is not "nincompoop'' a corruption of the Latin "non compos mentis,'' a legal term meaning, more or less, nincompoop?
Webster's says "non compos mentis'' dates back to 1607, and "nincompoop (origin unknown)'' to 1676.

[Quizmonster]

Dr Johnson was the first to suggest it might be a corruption of 'non compos', but the fact is that the earliest uses of the word - as in the 1676 version mentioned above - were spelt 'nicompoop' or 'nickumpoop'...ie the 'n' at third letter was absent. It seems unlikely, therefore, according to the OED, that the Latin 'non compos' idea holds water. It believes the word is (quote): "probably only a fanciful formation" and, accordingly, goes with the 'of obscure origin' idea.

[bernardo]

The origin of the adjectival form of the word (nincompoopismatic) is that I invented it a few years ago.