clown

== English == === Alternative forms === clowne, cloyne (obsolete) === 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. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation, General American, Canada) IPA(key): /ˈklaʊ̯n/ (Southern US, Midland US, Mid-Atlantic US, New York City, General Australian, New Zealand, /aʊ̯/-fronting) IPA(key): /ˈklæʊ̯n/ (Pittsburgh, General South African, /aʊ̯/-monophthongization) IPA(key): /ˈklaːn/ Rhymes: -aʊn Hyphenation: clown === Noun === clown (plural clowns) 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. (archaic) A man of coarse nature and manners; an awkward fellow; an illbred person; a boor. (archaic) One who works upon the soil; a rustic; a churl; a yokel. August 25, 1759, Samuel Johnson, The Idler No. 71 He […] began to descend to familiar questions, endeavouring to accommodate his discourse to the grossness of rustic understandings. The clowns soon found that he did not know wheat from rye, and began to despise him; one of the boys, by pretending to show him a bird's nest, decoyed him into a ditch; […] A clownfish. ==== Synonyms ==== (person who acts in a silly fashion): See Thesaurus:fool, jester, and laughingstock ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Verb === clown (third-person singular simple present clowns, present participle clowning, simple past and past participle clowned) (intransitive) To act in a silly or playful fashion. (transitive, African-American Vernacular) To ridicule, make fun of. Synonym: clown on ==== Derived terms ==== === See also === coulrophobia jester jackpudding === References === == Basque == === Etymology === From English clown. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /klau̯n/ [klãũ̯n] Rhymes: -au̯n Hyphenation: clown === Noun === clown anim clown (entertainer) Synonym: pailazo ==== Declension ==== === Further reading === “clown”, in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy] (in Basque), Euskaltzaindia [Royal Academy of the Basque Language] == Dutch == === Etymology === Borrowed from English clown. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /klɑu̯n/ Hyphenation: clown Rhymes: -ɑu̯n === Noun === clown m (plural clowns, diminutive clowntje n) clown (entertainer) ==== Derived terms ==== === See also === august harlekijn paljas pierrot nar witte clown zot == French == === Etymology === Borrowed from English clown. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /klun/ Homophone: clowns === Noun === clown m or f (plural clowns, feminine clownesse) clown (performer) Synonym: (Louisiana) macaque clown (person who acts in a comic way) ==== Derived terms ==== pantalon clown /pantalon de clown === Further reading === “clown”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012 == Italian == === Alternative forms === clauno === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English clown. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈkla.un/ Rhymes: -aun === Noun === clown m (invariable) clown (artist) Synonym: pagliaccio === References === == Polish == === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English clown. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈklawn/ Rhymes: -awn Syllabification: clown === Noun === clown m pers (comedy) alternative spelling of klaun ==== Declension ==== ==== Derived terms ==== === Further reading === “clown”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎[2] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN “clown”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎[3] (in Polish) == Romanian == === Noun === clown m (plural clowni) alternative form of clovn ==== Declension ==== === References === clown in Academia Română, Micul dicționar academic, ediția a II-a, Bucharest: Univers Enciclopedic, 2010. →ISBN == Spanish == === Alternative forms === clon === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English clown. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈklaun/ [ˈklãũn], /ˈklon/ [ˈklõn], /ˈkloun/ [ˈklõũn] Rhymes: -aun, -on, -oun === Noun === clown m (plural clowns or clownes) clown (circus performance artist) Synonym: payaso ==== Usage notes ==== According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed. === Further reading === “clown”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025 Seco, Manuel; Andrés, Olimpia; Ramos, Gabino (2023), “clown”, in Diccionario del español actual (in Spanish), third digital edition, Fundación BBVA == Swedish == === Etymology === Borrowed from English clown. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈklaʊn/ === Noun === clown c clown ==== Declension ==== ==== Synonyms ==== pajas ==== Derived terms ==== === References === “clown”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish) == Welsh == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /klou̯n/ IPA(key): /klɔu̯n/ Rhymes: -ou̯n === Etymology 1 === Borrowed from English clown. ==== Noun ==== clown m (plural clowniaid) clown === Etymology 2 === ==== Alternative forms ==== closwn (colloquial, first-person singular conditional) ==== Verb ==== clown inflection of cloi: first-person plural present/future first-person singular imperfect/conditional (literary) first-person plural imperative === Mutation ===