punchinello

noun

pun·​chi·​nel·​lo ˌpən-chə-ˈne-(ˌ)lō How to pronounce punchinello (audio)
1
capitalized : a fat short humpbacked clown or buffoon in Italian puppet shows
2
plural punchinellos : a squat grotesque person

Illustration of punchinello

Illustration of punchinello
  • Punchinello

Word History

Etymology

modification of Italian dialect polecenella

First Known Use

1662, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of punchinello was in 1662

Dictionary Entries Near punchinello

punch in

punchinello

punchiness

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Punchinello.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/punchinello. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

Point of View: It's Personal

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Words You Always Have to Look Up
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

8 Words with Fascinating Histories

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

10 Scrabble Words Without Any Vowels
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
naughty or nice
Are you naughty or nice? Quiz He's making a quiz, and checking it twice...