Punchinello

[puhn-chuh-nel-oh]

See more 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.

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for punchinello

fool, jester, mime, buffoon, comedian, comic, prankster, cut-up, madcap, harlequin, wag, ribald, jokester, punch, joker, mountebank, wit, zany, antic, humorist

Examples from the Web for punchinello

Historical Examples of punchinello

A punchinello jarred against him with: “Pardonnez moi, pardie!”
The Strollers
Frederic S. Isham
It is also from Naples that we have taken the Punchinello dance.
A Treatise on the Art of Dancing
Giovanni-Andrea Gallini
Punchinello asks Columbine who has been with her, and she replies, "Only the servant."
Stars of the Opera
Mabel Wagnalls
The circus folk said Punchinello was not well and told him he must rest.
The Green Forest Fairy Book
Loretta Ellen Brady
Suddenly the child stopped, for Punchinello was no longer dancing.
The Green Forest Fairy Book
Loretta Ellen Brady

British Dictionary definitions for punchinello

Punchinello

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

Word Origin and History for punchinello

Punchinello

see Punch.