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harlequin
- 6 dictionary resultshar⋅le⋅quin
[hahr-luh-kwin, -kin] 
–noun
| 1. | (often initial capital letter ) a comic character in commedia dell'arte and the harlequinade, usually masked, dressed in multicolored, diamond-patterned tights, and carrying a wooden sword or magic wand. |
| 2. | a buffoon. |
| 3. | any of various small snakes having bright diamond-pattern scales. |
–adjective
| 4. | fancifully varied in color, decoration, etc.: harlequin pants. |
| 5. | resembling a harlequin's mask: harlequin glasses. |
Origin:
1580–90; < F, MF (h)arlequin, semantically (and in part phonetically) < It arlecchino < MF, phonetically continuing OF *harlequin, halequin a malevolent spirit (Compare mesniee Hellequin a troop of demonic horsemen, lit., Hellequin's escort), prob. < ME *Herla king, OE *Her(e)la cyning King Herle, presumably a legendary figure, rendered in AL as Herla rex; cf. OHG Herilo a personal name, deriv. of heri armed forces
1580–90; < F, MF (h)arlequin, semantically (and in part phonetically) < It arlecchino < MF, phonetically continuing OF *harlequin, halequin a malevolent spirit (Compare mesniee Hellequin a troop of demonic horsemen, lit., Hellequin's escort), prob. < ME *Herla king, OE *Her(e)la cyning King Herle, presumably a legendary figure, rendered in AL as Herla rex; cf. OHG Herilo a personal name, deriv. of heri armed forces
Related forms:
har⋅le⋅quin⋅ism, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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|
Link To harlequin
| har·le·quin (här'lĭ-kwĭn, -kĭn) n.
[Obsolete French, from Old French Herlequin, Hellequin, a demon, perhaps from Middle English *Herleking, from Old English Herla cyning, King Herla, a mythical figure identified with Woden.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Harlequin
Har"le*quin\, n. [F. arlequin,formerly written also harlequin (cf. It, arlecchino), prob. fr. OF. hierlekin, hellequin, goblin, elf, which is prob. of German or Dutch origin; cf. D. hel hell. Cf. Hell, Kin.] A buffoon, dressed in party-colored clothes, who plays tricks, often without speaking, to divert the bystanders or an audience; a merry-andrew; originally, a droll rogue of Italian comedy. --Percy Smith. As dumb harlequin is exhibited in our theaters. --Johnson. Harlequin bat (Zo["o]l.), an Indian bat (Scotophilus ornatus), curiously variegated with white spots. Harlequin beetle (Zo["o]l.), a very large South American beetle (Acrocinus longimanus) having very long legs and antenn[ae]. The elytra are curiously marked with red, black, and gray. Harlequin cabbage bug. (Zo["o]l.) See Calicoback. Harlequin caterpillar. (Zo["o]l.), the larva of an American bombycid moth (Euch[ae]tes egle) which is covered with black, white, yellow, and orange tufts of hair. Harlequin duck (Zo["o]l.), a North American duck (Histrionicus histrionicus). The male is dark ash, curiously streaked with white. Harlequin moth. (Zo["o]l.) See Magpie Moth. Harlequin opal. See Opal. Harlequin snake (Zo["o]l.), a small, poisonous snake (Elaps fulvius), ringed with red and black, found in the Southern United States.Harlequin
Har"le*quin\, n. i. To play the droll; to make sport by playing ludicrous tricks.Harlequin
Har"le*quin\, v. t. Toremove or conjure away, as by a harlequin's trick. And kitten,if the humor hit Has harlequined away the fit. --M. Green.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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harlequin
1590, from M.Fr. harlequin, from O.Fr. Herlequin, Hellequin, etc., leader of la maisnie Hellequin, a troop of demons who rode the night air on horses. He corresponds to O.E. Herla cyning "King Herla," mythical character sometimes identified as Woden; possibly also the same as the Ger. Erlkönig "Elf King" of the Goethe poem. Sometimes also associated with Herrequin, 9c. count of Boulogne, who was proverbially wicked. In Eng. pantomime, a mute character who carries a magic wand. His It. form, arlecchino, is one of the stock characters of commedia del'arte. From his ludicrous dress comes the Eng. meaning "particolored" (1779).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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