Punchinello
[ puhn-chuh-nel-oh ]
/ ˌpʌn tʃəˈnɛl oʊ /
noun, plural Pun·chi·nel·los, Pun·chi·nel·loes.
a grotesque or absurd chief character in a puppet show of Italian origin: the prototype of Punch.
any similarly grotesque or absurd person or thing.
Origin of Punchinello
1660–70; < Italian (Naples dial.)
polecenella character in the puppet show, diminutive of
polecana turkey-cock chick < Late Latin
pullicēnus, derivative of Latin
pullus
pullet
Example sentences from the Web for punchinello
British Dictionary definitions for punchinello
Punchinello
/ (ˌpʌntʃɪˈnɛləʊ) /
noun plural -los or -loes
a type of clown from Italian burlesque or puppet shows, the prototype of Punch
(sometimes not capital)
any grotesque or absurd character
Word Origin for Punchinello
C17: from earlier
Polichinello, from Italian (Neapolitan dialect)
Polecenella, from Italian
pulcino chicken, ultimately from Latin
pullus young animal