Punchinello
[ puhn-chuh-nel-oh ]
/ ˌpʌn tʃəˈnɛl oʊ /
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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
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use Punchinello in a sentence
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
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