āCoffee, the favorite drink of the civilized world.ā ā Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States
harlequin
(noun) a clown or buffoon (after the Harlequin character in the commedia dellāarte)
harlequin
(verb) variegate with spots or marks; āHis face was harlequined with patchesā
Source: WordNet® 3.1
harlequin (plural harlequins)
A pantomime fool, typically dressed in checkered colorful clothes.
A greenish-chartreuse color.
(informal) A harlequin duck.
(entomology) Any of various riodinid butterflies of the genera Taxila and Praetaxila.
• Because of its origin in the name of an Italian theatrical character, Harlequin is often used as a proper noun.
harlequin (not comparable)
Brightly colored, especially in a pattern like that of a harlequin clown's clothes.
Of a greenish-chartreuse color.
harlequin (third-person singular simple present harlequins, present participle harlequining, simple past and past participle harlequined)
(transitive) To remove or conjure away, as if by a harlequin's trick.
(intransitive) To make sport by playing ludicrous tricks.
Source: Wiktionary
Har"le*quin, n. Etym: [F. arlequin,formerly written also harlequin (cf. It, arlecchino), prob. fr. OF. hierlekin, hellequin, goblin, elf, which is prob. of German or Dutch origin; cf. D. hel hell. Cf. Hell, Kin.]
Definition: A buffoon, dressed in party-colored clothes, who plays tricks, often without speaking, to divert the bystanders or an audience; a merry-andrew; originally, a droll rogue of Italian comedy. Percy Smith. As dumb harlequin is exhibited in our theaters. Johnson. Harlequin bat (Zoƶl.), an Indian bat (Scotophilus ornatus), curiously variegated with white spots.
– Harlequin beetle (Zoƶl.), a very large South American beetle (Acrocinus longimanus) having very long legs and antennƦ. The elytra are curiously marked with red, black, and gray.
– Harlequin cabbage bug. (Zoƶl.) See Calicoback.
– Harlequin caterpillar. (Zoƶl.), the larva of an American bombycid moth (EuchƦtes egle) which is covered with black, white, yellow, and orange tufts of hair.
– Harlequin duck (Zoƶl.), a North American duck (Histrionicus histrionicus). The male is dark ash, curiously streaked with white.
– Harlequin moth. (Zoƶl.) See Magpie Moth.
– Harlequin opal. See Opal.
– Harlequin snake (Zoƶl.), a small, poisonous snake (Elaps fulvius), ringed with red and black, found in the Southern United States.
Har"le*quin, n. i.
Definition: To play the droll; to make sport by playing ludicrous tricks.
Har"le*quin, v. t.
Definition: Toremove or conjure away, as by a harlequin's trick. And kitten,if the humor hit Has harlequined away the fit. M. Green.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
17 March 2025
(noun) magnet made of a substance whose magnetization is proportional to the strength of the magnetic field applied to it
āCoffee, the favorite drink of the civilized world.ā ā Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States