Scaramouch
Americannoun
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a stock character in commedia dell'arte and farce who is a cowardly braggart, easily beaten and frightened.
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(lowercase) a rascal or scamp.
noun
Etymology
Origin of Scaramouch
First recorded in 1662; from French Scaramouche, from Italian Scaramuccia, proper noun use of scaramuccia “skirmish” (applied in jest); see origin at skirmish ( def. )
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.
But this sham being discovered, Scaramouch runs off with the candles and all slip away in the darkness and confusion, leaving him to return in his shirt as newly risen from bed.
From The Works of Aphra Behn, Volume III by Summers, Montague
Scaramouch is the necromancer's man, and the comic scenes, although the stage tricks are old, prove very good pantomime.
From The Works of Aphra Behn, Volume III by Summers, Montague
Various gay masqueraders, interrupted by return of the Doctor, are carried by Scaramouch behind the curtain.
From The Spectator, Volume 1 Eighteenth-Century Periodical Essays by Addison, Joseph
His dress was something between that of Harlequin and Scaramouch.
From The Infernal Marriage by Disraeli, Benjamin, Earl of Beaconsfield
Enter Scaramouch, peeping on all sides before he enters.
From The Works of Aphra Behn, Volume III by Summers, Montague
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.
