Punchinello

[ puhn-chuh-nel-oh ]

/ ˌpʌn tʃəˈnɛl oʊ /

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See synonyms for Punchinello on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural Pun·chi·nel·los, Pun·chi·nel·loes.

a grotesque or absurd chief character in a puppet show of Italian origin: the prototype of Punch.

any similarly grotesque or absurd person or thing.

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Origin of Punchinello

1660–70; <Italian (Naples dial.) polecenella character in the puppet show, diminutive of polecana turkey-cock chick <Late Latin pullicēnus, derivative of Latin pulluspullet

Words nearby Punchinello

punch-drunk, punched card, punched tape, puncheon, punch in, Punchinello, punching bag, punch line, punch list, punch-out, punch press

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Punchinello in a sentence

Punch and Punchinello, or Pierre and Pierrot are the father and the son of the ancient holy-days or holidays.
Archaic England|Harold Bayley
Here and there a small group gazed at the performances of Punchinello; a few equipages drove along its centre way.
Recollections of Thirty-nine Years in the Army|Charles Alexander Gordon
It was as though a parrot or a punchinello spoke, and sentences which were unexpected could not be understood.
Heroes of the Telegraph|J. Munro
But any though he is, he is as capable of devotion to his Columbine as Punchinello, and remains faithfully mated year after year.
Bird Neighbors|Neltje Blanchan

She had been angry with Glyde, but now could think of him as "poor Struan," Punchinello in a rustic comedy.
Rest Harrow|Maurice Hewlett

British Dictionary definitions for Punchinello

Punchinello

/ (ˌpʌntʃɪˈnɛləʊ) /

noun plural -los or -loes

a type of clown from Italian burlesque or puppet shows, the prototype of Punch

(sometimes not capital) any grotesque or absurd character

Word Origin for Punchinello

C17: from earlier Polichinello, from Italian (Neapolitan dialect) Polecenella, from Italian pulcino chicken, ultimately from Latin pullus young animal

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