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pantalone

 - 2 dictionary results

pan⋅ta⋅loon

[pan-tl-oon]
–noun
1. pantaloons, a man's close-fitting garment for the hips and legs, worn esp. in the 19th century, but varying in form from period to period; trousers.
2. (usually initial capital letter) Also, Pan⋅ta⋅lo⋅ne [pan-tl-oh-ney, pahn-; It. pahn-tah-law-ne] . (in commedia dell'arte) a foolish old Venetian merchant, usually the head of a household, generally lascivious and frequently deceived in the course of lovers' intrigues.
3. (in the modern pantomime) a foolish, vicious old man, the butt and accomplice of the clown.

Origin:
1580–90; < MF Pantalon < Upper It (Venetian) Pantalone nickname for a Venetian, var. of Pantaleone, name of a 4th-century saint once a favorite of the Venetians
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Pan·ta·loon   (pān'tə-lōōn')   
n.  
  1. often Pan·ta·lo·ne (pān'tə-lō'nā, pän'tä-lō'ně) A character in the commedia dell'arte, portrayed as a foolish old man in tight trousers and slippers.

  2. A stock character in modern pantomime, the butt of a clown's jokes.


[French Pantalon, from Italian Pantalone, after San Pantalone, or Saint Pantaleon (died A.D. 303), Roman physician and martyr.]
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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