harlequin

See also: Harlequin

English

Etymology

From earlier Harlicken, from Middle French Harlequin (in Italian Arlecchino, the name of a popular servant character in commedia dell'arte plays), from Old French Harlequin, Halequin, Herlequin, Hellequin, Hierlekin, Hellekin (a demon, malevolent spirit), probably of (deprecated template usage) [etyl]  origin, connected to the (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old English figure of Herla Cyning (“King Herla”, a mythical figure identified with Woden) or possibly to Old Frisian helle kin, Old English helle cyn, Old Norse heljar kyn (“the kindred of Hell”). Related to Middle English Hurlewain (“a mischievous sprite or goblin”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɑːlɪkwɪn/
• IPA^(key): /ˈhɑɹlɪkwɪn/

Noun

harlequin (plural harlequins)

1. A pantomime fool, typically dressed in checkered colorful clothes.
   • 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling:

     […] were certainly the worst and dullest company into which an audience was ever introduced; and (which was a secret known to few) were actually intended so to be, in order to contrast the comic part of the entertainment, and to display the tricks of harlequin to the better advantage.

2. A greenish-chartreuse color.

   harlequin:  

3. (informal) A harlequin duck.
4. (entomology) Any of various riodinid butterflies of the genera Taxila and Praetaxila.

Usage notes

• Because of its origin in the name of an Italian theatrical character, Harlequin is often used as a proper noun.

Translations

pantomime fool

• Azerbaijani: arlekin
• Basque: arlekin
• Bulgarian: арлекин m (arlekin), арлекино m (arlekino)
• Catalan: arlequí m
• Czech: harlekýn m
• Danish: harlekin c
• Dutch: harlekijn (nl) m
• Esperanto: arlekeno
• Estonian: arlekiin
• Finnish: harlekiini (fi)
• French: arlequin (fr) m
• Galician: arlequín (gl) m
• German: Harlekin (de) m

  Alemannic German: Harlekin m

• Greek: αρλεκίνος (el) m (arlekínos)
• Hebrew: מוּקְיוֹן m (muqyón)
• Hungarian: harlekin (hu)
• Ido: arlekino (io)
• Irish: airleacán m
• Italian: arlecchino (it) m
• Japanese: アルレッキーノ (arurekkīno)
• Korean: 아를레키노 (areullekino)
• Latvian: arlekīns m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Lithuanian: arlekinas m
• Lombard: (Western) arlechin m, (Eastern) arlechì m
• Macedonian: арлекин m (arlekin)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: harlekin m

  Nynorsk: harlekin m

• Polish: arlekin (pl) m
• Portuguese: arlequim (pt) m
• Romanian: arlechin (ro) m
• Russian: арлеки́н (ru) m (arlekín)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: харлѐкӣн m, арлѐкӣн m

  Roman: harlèkīn (sh) m, arlèkīn (sh) m

• Slovak: harlekýn (sk) m
• Spanish: arlequín (es) m
• Swedish: harlekin (sv) c
• Tagalog: harlekin
• Tibetan: ཨར་ལེ་ཀི་ནོ། (ar le ki no)
• Turkish: arleken
• Ukrainian: арлекі́н (uk) m (arlekín)
• Uzbek: arlikin, arlekino
• Walloon: harlikin (wa) m

Adjective

harlequin (not comparable)

1. Brightly colored, especially in a pattern like that of a harlequin clown's clothes.
2. Of a greenish-chartreuse color.

Derived terms

• harlequinade
• harlequin bat
• harlequin beetle
• harlequin cabbage bug
• harlequin caterpillar
• harlequin duck
• harlequinesque
• harlequin ice cream
• harlequin moth
• harlequin opal
• harlequin snake
• yellow harlequin

 

Translations

brightly colored

• Finnish: riemunkirjava
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: arlecchino (it)

Verb

harlequin (third-person singular simple present harlequins, present participle harlequining, simple past and past participle harlequined)

1. (transitive) To remove or conjure away, as if by a harlequin's trick.
   • 1737, Matthew Green, The Spleen:

     And kitten, if the humour hit / Has harlequin'd away the fit.

2. (intransitive) To make sport by playing ludicrous tricks.