Pinocchio

American  

[pi-noh-kee-oh] / pɪˈnoʊ kiˌoʊ /

noun

1. the hero of Carlo Collodi's children's story, The Adventures of Pinocchio (1883), a wooden puppet who comes to life as a boy and whose nose grows longer whenever he tells a lie.

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Etymology

Origin of Pinocchio

< Italian: literally, pine seed, pine cone, equivalent to pin ( o ) pine ¹ + -occhio < Vulgar Latin *-uc ( u ) lu ( m ), Latin -i-culum; see -i-, -cule ¹

Example Sentences

Behind his desk hangs a Pinocchio puppet he made for the Walt Disney Co., and retired puppets from Highland Park’s Bob Baker Marionette Theater can also be found in Metz’s nook.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 21, 2026

Among them is the so called Pinocchio chameleon, a reptile described for nearly 150 years.

From Science Daily • Dec. 13, 2025

The first film, Del Toro's acclaimed dark-fantasy version of Pinocchio, arrived in 2022.

From BBC • Aug. 30, 2025

The lavish folk tale draws from the song "When You Wish Upon a Star" from the 1940 cartoon film "Pinocchio," about a puppet wishing to become a real boy.

From Reuters • Nov. 20, 2023

The ugly duckling grows into a swan, Pinocchio becomes a boy.

From "Brown Girl Dreaming" by Jacqueline Woodson