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pantaloon

[pan-tl-oon]
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noun
  1. pantaloons, a man's close-fitting garment for the hips and legs, worn especially in the 19th century, but varying in form from period to period; trousers.
  2. (usually initial capital letter) Also Pan·ta·lo·ne [pan-tl-oh-ney, pahn-; Italian pahn-tah-law-ne] /ˌpæn tlˈoʊ neɪ, ˌpɑn-; Italian ˌpɑn tɑˈlɔ nɛ/. (in commedia dell'arte) a foolish old Venetian merchant, usually the head of a household, generally lascivious and frequently deceived in the course of lovers' intrigues.
  3. (in the modern pantomime) a foolish, vicious old man, the butt and accomplice of the clown.
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Origin of pantaloon

1580–90; < Middle French Pantalon < Upper Italian (Venetian) Pantalone nickname for a Venetian, variant of Pantaleone, name of a 4th-century saint once a favorite of the Venetians
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for pantaloon

jokester, clown, trousers, underpants, shorts, knickers, fool, madcap, trickster, antic, harlequin, wag, actor, joker, wit, comedian, buffoon, comic, humorist

Examples from the Web for pantaloon

Historical Examples of pantaloon

  • Pantaloon flung a great arm about the young man's shoulders.

    Scaramouche

    Rafael Sabatini

  • "That is the delusion proper to Pierrot," said Pantaloon, contemptuously.

    Scaramouche

    Rafael Sabatini

  • But it is rarely that I find it necessary to call myself other than Pantaloon.

    Scaramouche

    Rafael Sabatini

  • "That is a very original and profound discovery," said Pantaloon, quite seriously.

    Scaramouche

    Rafael Sabatini

  • A comrade slit down the leg of the pantaloon with a knife, when lo!

British Dictionary definitions for pantaloon

pantaloon

noun theatre
  1. (in pantomime) an absurd old man, the butt of the clown's tricks
  2. (usually capital) (in commedia dell'arte) a lecherous old merchant dressed in pantaloons
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Word Origin for pantaloon

C16: from French Pantalon, from Italian Pantalone, local nickname for a Venetian, probably from San Pantaleone, a fourth-century Venetian saint
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for pantaloon

Pantaloon

n.

skinny, foolish old man in Italian comedy, 1580s; see pantaloons. As a kind of leggings, 1660s.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper