clown
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clown
- /ˈklaʊ̯n/ Canada, US, UK
- /ˈklæʊ̯n/
- /ˈklaːn/
Rhymes with -aʊn
Where it comes from
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.
noun clowns · clowne · cloyne
- 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. Apart from the many instances in which Stalin himself held the top position-as philosopher, theoretician, statesman, strategist, economist, etc.--it was known, for example, who was the greatest painter, biologist, or circus clown.
- A person who acts in a silly fashion. He was regarded as the clown of the school, always playing pranks.
- A stupid person. "The dealers snatched at the state of intellectual exhaustion and scepticism of all values that followed the first world war to abolish values and substitute for them an arbitrary mumbo-jumbo of occultism and pseudo-Freudianism, which they tagged on to the works of studio clowns like Picasso and Mod
- A man of coarse nature and manners; an awkward fellow; an illbred person; a boor. This loutish clown is such that you never saw so ill - favoured a vizar
- One who works upon the soil; a rustic; a churl; a yokel. The clown, the child of nature, without guile.
- A clownfish. While the tomato clownfish Amphiprion frenatus has been spawned in captivity, wild-caught tomato clowns are more often seen for sale.
Similar: jester, and laughingstock
verb clowns · clowning · clowned · clowne · cloyne
- To act in a silly or playful fashion. Except for Rasheena, the rest of the baby mamas was at least struggling to live halfway right. They used to clown and act shitty whenever they came by Noojie's and saw Carmiesha there. But every last one of them ended up being grateful to her for the things she did for their kids.
- To ridicule, make fun of. The show Dismissed was one of my favorites, because I like to see people get clowned.
