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Webster 1913 Edition

Clown

Clown

(kloun)
,
Noun.
[Cf. Icel.
klunni
a clumsy, boorish fellow, North Fries.
klönne
clown, dial. Sw.
klunn
log, Dan.
klunt
log, block, and E.
clump
, n.]
1.
A man of coarse nature and manners; an awkward fellow; an ill-bred person; a boor.
Sir P. Sidney.
2.
One who works upon the soil; a rustic; a churl.
The
clown
, the child of nature, without guile.
Cowper.
3.
The fool or buffoon in a play, circus, etc.
The
clown
shall make those laugh whose lungs are tickle o’the sere.
Shakespeare

Clown

,
Verb.
I.
To act as a clown; – with it.
[Obs.]
Beshrew me, he
clowns
it properly indeed.
B. Jonson.

Webster 1828 Edition

Clown

CLOWN

,
Noun.
A countryman; a rustic; hence, one who has the manners of a rustic; a churl; a man of coarse manners; an ill-bred man.

Definition 2025

Clown

Clown

See also: clown

German

Noun

Clown m ‎(genitive Clowns, plural Clowns)

  1. clown

Declension

clown

clown

See also: Clown

English

Noun

clown

clown ‎(plural clowns)

  1. A performance artist often associated with a circus and typically characterised by bright, oversized clothing, a red nose, face paint, and a brightly colored wig and who performs slapstick.
  2. A person who acts in a silly fashion.
  3. (Britain) A stupid person.
  4. (obsolete) A man of coarse nature and manners; an awkward fellow; an illbred person; a boor.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Sir Philip Sidney to this entry?)
  5. (obsolete) One who works upon the soil; a rustic; a churl.
    • Cowper
      The clown, the child of nature, without guile.

Synonyms

  • (performance artist working in a circus):
  • (person who acts in a silly fashion): buffoon, fool

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

clown ‎(third-person singular simple present clowns, present participle clowning, simple past and past participle clowned)

  1. (intransitive) To act in a silly or playful fashion.

Derived terms

See also

French

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /klun/
  • Homophone: clowns

Noun

clown m ‎(plural clowns)

  1. clown (performer)
  2. clown (person who acts in a comic way)

Italian

Noun

clown m ‎(invariable)

  1. clown (artist)

Synonyms

Spanish

Alternative forms

Etymology

From English clown.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /klon/

Noun

clown m ‎(plural clownes)

  1. clown (circus performance artist)

Synonyms

Swedish

Noun

clown c

  1. clown

Declension

Inflection of clown 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative clown clownen clowner clownerna
Genitive clowns clownens clowners clownernas

Derived terms

Welsh

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /klɔu̯n/

Etymology 1

Borrowing from English clown.

Noun

clown m (plural clowniaid)

  1. clown

Etymology 2

Alternative forms

  • closwn (colloquial, first-person singular conditional)

Verb

clown

  1. first-person plural present / future of cloi
  2. first-person singular imperfect / conditional of cloi
  3. (literary) first-person plural imperative of cloi

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical soft nasal aspirate
clown glown nghlown chlown
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /klaʊ̯n/

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