[fawl-staf, -stahf] 
| 1. | Sir John, the jovial, fat knight of brazen assurance and few scruples in Shakespeare's Henry IV, Parts 1 and 2, and The Merry Wives of Windsor. |
| 2. | (italics ) an opera (1893) by Giuseppe Verdi, with a libretto by Arrigo Boito based on the Shakespearean character. |
An endearing, fat, aging rogue who appears in several of the plays of William Shakespeare. He is prominent in the two parts of King Henry the Fourth, where he is the jolly companion of Prince Hal, the future King Henry V. Falstaff is a lover of wine, women, and song; although a coward in practice, he loves to tell tales of his supposed bravery.