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punchinelloes

 - 2 dictionary results

Pun⋅chi⋅nel⋅lo

  [puhn-chuh-nel-oh]
Use punchinelloes in a Sentence
–noun, plural -los, -loes.
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.
Origin:
1660–70; < It (Naples dial.) polecenella character in the puppet show, dim. of polecana turkey-cock chick < LL pullicēnus, deriv. of L pullus pullet
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Pun·chi·nel·lo   (pŭn'chə-něl'ō)   
n.   pl. Pun·chi·nel·los or Pun·chi·nel·loes

  1. The short fat buffoon or clown in an Italian puppet show.

  2. One who resembles a short fat clown.


[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.]
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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