HARLEQUINING

Verb

harlequining

present participle of harlequin

Source: Wiktionary


HARLEQUIN

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



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Word of the Day

1 July 2025

ENSLAVEMENT

(noun) the state of being a slave; ā€œSo every bondman in his own hand bears the power to cancel his captivityā€--Shakespeare


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Coffee Trivia

The earliest credible evidence of coffee-drinking as the modern beverage appeared in modern-day Yemen. In the middle of the 15th century in Sufi shrines where coffee seeds were first roasted and brewed for drinking. The Yemenis procured the coffee beans from the Ethiopian Highlands.

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