guignol

noun

gui·​gnol

gēnˈyȯl,

-yōl

plural -s

sometimes capitalized

1

: puppet

especially : hand puppet compare marionette

2

: puppet show

3

: a theatrical production featuring melodramatic tension, horror, and shock

Word History

Etymology

French, probably after Guignol, reputed name of a silkworker of Lyons and character of the puppet theater which Laurent Mourquet installed there for the earliest performance (in 1795) of French puppet shows

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