Punchinello
Americannoun
plural
Punchinellos, Punchinelloes-
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.
noun
-
a type of clown from Italian burlesque or puppet shows, the prototype of Punch
-
(sometimes not capital) any grotesque or absurd character
Etymology
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 pullus pullet
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The work features Punchinello, the hook-nosed, humpbacked clowns who were some of the stock characters taken from the Commedia dell' Arte - an early form of professional theatre.
From BBC • Oct. 11, 2021
He called himself "Punchinello today, Melpomene tomorrow, Benedick forever."
From Time Magazine Archive
Punchinello LaGuardia led with his chin again last week, this time got it punched by various assorted clergymen.
From Time Magazine Archive
Last week at a sale in the Hotel Drouot, Paris, "Punchinello" brought $17,000.
From Time Magazine Archive
In profile she resembles a cute Punchinello, her cheeks expressive, painted, and the nose carved for comic effect.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
