pagliaccio

Italian

FWOTD – 18 July 2016

Etymology

The traditional Italian character's outfit was made of the same fabric used to cover straw mattresses: from paglia (straw), from Latin palea (chaff),[1] whence British English paillasse (bed made of straw) and general English pallet (bed made of straw or hay used in medieval times). Cognate with Piedmontese pajasso.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /paʎˈʎat.t͡ʃo/
  • Rhymes: -attʃo
  • Hyphenation: pa‧gliàc‧cio

Noun

pagliaccio m (plural pagliacci, feminine pagliaccia)

  1. (also derogatory) clown, buffoon
    • 1889, Edmondo De Amicis, “Febbraio”, in Cuore, page 139:
      Scrivi un bell’articolo sulla Gazzetta, – gli disse, – tu che sai scrivere: tu racconti i miracoli del piccolo pagliaccio e io faccio il suo ritratto; la Gazzetta la leggon tutti, e almeno per una volta accorrerà gente. []
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
    • 1892, Ruggero Leoncavallo (lyrics and music), “Vesti la Giubba”:
      Ridi, Pagliaccio, sul tuo amore infranto
      Laugh, clown, at thy broken love

Derived terms

Descendants

References

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