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