punchinello

P3U1N1C3H4I1N1E1L1L1O1
/ˌpʌnt͡ʃɪˈnɛləʊ/

noun

A small brown butterfly, Zemeros flegyas, family Riodinidae, of Asia.

RareScrabble 18

Meanings

punchinello1

nounpunchinello (plural punchinellos or punchinelloes)

plural punchinellos · plural punchinelloes

  1. Alternative letter-case form of Punchinello.
    1 more example

    The children of George III played with an eight-inch-long rattle made of gold and coral and decorated with gold bells. The little King of Rome, Napoleon's son, had one with the face formed as a punchinello with an ivory handle and eight bells, in fact, a poupard. This punchinello had Napoleon's face, made expressly in order for his son.

    1971, Gwen White, Antique Toys And Their Background, page 37
  2. A small brown butterfly, Zemeros flegyas, family Riodinidae, of Asia.

Punchinello2

proper nounPunchinello (plural Punchinellos or Punchinelloes)

plural Punchinellos · plural Punchinelloes

  1. A traditional Italian puppet, in the form of a short fat clown.
nounPunchinello (plural Punchinellos or Punchinelloes)

plural Punchinellos · plural Punchinelloes

  1. broadlySomebody who resembles this character; a grotesque buffoon.

Origin

Punchinello · proper noun, noun

  1. NeapolitanPulecenella
  2. ItalianPulcinella
  3. EnglishPunchinello

From Italian Pulcinella or Neapolitan Pulecenella, of uncertain origin (see the Italian entry).

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with punchinello

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

punchinello. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/punchinello

MLA

“punchinello.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/punchinello. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “punchinello,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/punchinello.

Source: punchinello on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.