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harlequin

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈhɑːlɪkwɪn/ (UK); /ˈhɑɹlɪkwɪn/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Middle French harlequin,[2][3] related to Italian arlecchino,[4][2][5][3] a variant of Old French Herlequin, Hellequin, the name of a demon who led a troop of spectral horsemen through the night air.[6][2][5][3] This name may come from Middle English *Herle king, Old English Herla cyning “King Herla”, a mythical figure sometimes identified with Woden.[6][2][3] Etymonline doubts this theory, since the earliest Harlequin was a bumbling servant, not a magical figure, and allows an Italian origin.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A stock character of Italian comedy, later of French comedy and English pantomime (1590).[7][4][2] Barnhart's earliest form is Harlicken.[2][5]

Semantic evolution

Harlequin was one of the comic servants of the commedia dell'arte, usually masked and dressed in diamond-patterned tights.[3][1][6] In English pantomime he became a mute character, invisible to the clown.[7] The name passed to any buffoon (1878),[7] and from the costume came the adjective “particoloured” (1779),[7][2][5] as well as names for brightly patterned animals such as the harlequin duck.[7][1]

Timeline

  • 1590 – the comic character.[7][4][2]
  • 1737 – verb, to colour in contrasting colours.[7]
  • 1772 – the harlequin duck.[7]
  • 1779 – adjective, particoloured, ludicrous.[7][2][5]
  • 1878 – a buffoon in general.[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. (often capitalized) A comic character of the commedia dell'arte and pantomime, masked and dressed in multicoloured diamond-patterned tights.
  2. A clown or buffoon.
  3. A variegated pattern, as of a fabric or an animal's coat.

Adjective

  1. Having a pattern of brightly coloured diamond shapes; fancifully varied in colour.

Word family

  • harlequinism
  • harlequinade
  • harlequinesque
  • harlequin duck

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  3. ^ a b c d e Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  4. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press