Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A character in French pantomime, dressed in a floppy white outfit.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A form of woman's basque cut low in the neck, but having sleeves, worn toward the close of the eighteenth century.
  • noun A buffoon whose costume was white, or white with stripes, large and loose, and with very long sleeves: a popular character in masked balls.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun A character from French pantomime; a buffoon in a loose white outfit.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a male character in French pantomime; usually dressed in white with a whitened face

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French, diminutive of the name Pierre, Peter, from Old French, from Latin Petrus.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

French Pierrot, diminutive of Pierre ("Peter") via diminutive suffix -ot.

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Examples

  • PIERROT: Pierrot sees clearly into existing evils and is rendered gaily cynical by them; he is both too indolent and too indifferent to do anything about it.

    Aria da Capo Edna St. Vincent Millay 1921

  • THE PIERROT OF THE MINUTE: A quite charming tale of Pierrot and the Moon-Maiden.

    The Atlantic Book of Modern Plays Eugene O'Neill 1920

  • Eurovision song contest entry of 1959, which Karina's Marianne frequently sings to Belmondo's Ferdinand (whom she calls Pierrot, which invariably moves Ferdinand to respond, "that's not my name.").

    In The Company Of Glenn 2009

  • Jean-Luc was going to shoot a new film, called Pierrot le fou, with Jean-Paul Belmondo, and wanted me to appear in a scene.

    Row Three » Excerpt of the Week: A Third Face - Where Cinema is more than just $100 Million productions 2008

  • On account of his spotless whiteness he was called Pierrot; but when he grew up this name was very properly magnified into Don-Pierrot-de-Navarre, which was far more majestic, and suggested 'grandee-ism.'

    Concerning Cats My Own and Some Others Helen M. Winslow

  • ---- No! The million that belongs to him who is not your brother -- to Clementine's son, my dear and only child, the only scion of my race, Pierre Langevin, called Pierrot, a miller at

    The Man With The Broken Ear Edmond About 1856

  • I have said before that the dress of a Pierrot is the costume which disguises the figure and the gait most completely.

    The memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt 1827

  • I have said before that the dress of a Pierrot is the costume which disguises the figure and the gait most completely.

    The Complete Memoirs of Jacques Casanova Giacomo Casanova 1761

  • I have said before that the dress of a Pierrot is the costume which disguises the figure and the gait most completely.

    Memoirs of Casanova — Volume 08: Convent Affairs Giacomo Casanova 1761

  • Laura Sedgwick Collins, who has already won a high rank, wrote the music to "Pierrot," besides many excellent songs and violin works.

    Woman's Work in Music Arthur Elson

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