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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

Examples from the Web for pantaloon

Historical Examples

  • 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

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