[puhn-chuh-nel-oh] 
| 1. | a grotesque or absurd chief character in a puppet show of Italian origin: the prototype of Punch. |
| 2. | any similarly grotesque or absurd person or thing. |
| Pun·chi·nel·lo (pŭn'chə-něl'ō) n. pl. Pun·chi·nel·los or Pun·chi·nel·loes
[Variant of Polichinello, from Italian dialectal Pollecinella, diminutive of pollecena, turkey pullet (from the resemblance between its beak and Punchinello's nose), ultimately from Latin pullus, young chicken; see pullet.] |