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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.


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

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See Examples For:

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

From Science Daily Dec. 13, 2025

Back in 2023, Pinocchio from Guillermo del Toro’s Oscar-winning film led the walkaround.

From Los Angeles Times Mar. 27, 2025

In the 27-second clip, recurring characters Shrek, Donkey, Pinocchio and Princess Fiona appear alongside Felicia - one of Shrek and Fiona's now grown-up children.

From BBC Feb. 28, 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

Also, that same year, I almost drowned, and when I was underwater, I saw the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio.

From "Louisiana's Way Home" by Kate DiCamillo

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