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Definition of pantaloon - 4 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
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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pan·ta·loon   (pān'tə-lōōn')   
n.  
    1. Men's wide breeches extending from waist to ankle, worn especially in England in the late 17th century. Often used in the plural.

    2. Tight trousers extending from waist to ankle with straps passing under the instep, worn especially in the 19th century. Often used in the plural.

  1. Trousers; pants. Often used in the plural.


[French pantalon, a kind of trouser, from Pantalon, Pantaloon; see Pantaloon.]
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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Encyclopedia

Pantaloon

stock character of the 16th-century Italian commedia dell'arte-a cunning and rapacious yet often deceived Venetian merchant.

Learn more about Pantaloon with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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