clown
Meanings
Plural: clowns
Noun
- a rude or vulgar fool
- a person who amuses others by ridiculous behavior
- A slapstick performance artist often associated with a circus and usually characterized by bright, oversized clothing, a red nose, face paint, and a brightly colored wig.
- A person who acts in a silly fashion.
- A stupid person.
- A man of coarse nature and manners; an awkward fellow; an illbred person; a boor.
- One who works upon the soil; a rustic; a churl; a yokel.
- A clownfish.
Verb
- act as or like a clown
- To act in a silly or playful fashion.
- To ridicule, make fun of.
Origin / Etymology
From earlier clowne, cloyne (“man of rustic or coarse manners, boor, peasant”); likely of North Germanic origin, akin to Icelandic klunni (“clumsy fellow, klutz”), Swedish kluns (“clumsy fellow”), all from Middle Low German klunz, from klunt (“pile, lump, something thick”); according to Pokorny, this could be related to a group of Germanic derivatives of Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to ball up; amass”), such as Proto-West Germanic *klott (“lump”), Proto-Germanic *klūtaz (“clod, lump”), *kultaz (“lump, bundle”), etc.
Alternatively, directly from Low German (compare North Frisian klönne (“clumsy fellow, klutz”), Dutch kluns (“clumsy fellow, klutz”), Dutch kloen (“uncouth person, lout”)), themselves from the same ultimate source as above.
Unlikely from Latin colōnus (“colonist, farmer”), although learned awareness of this term may have influenced semantic development.
Synonyms
and laughingstock, antic, buffoon, clown around, clown on, fool, goof, goofball, jester, merry andrew
Scrabble Score: 10
clown is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL wordclown is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
clown is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary