harlequin

 
Pronunciation: /ˈhɑːlɪkwɪn/

noun

  • 1 (Harlequin) a mute character in traditional pantomime, typically masked and dressed in a diamond-patterned costume.
  • historical a stock comic character in Italian commedia dell’arte.
  • 2 (also harlequin duck) a small duck of fast-flowing streams around the Arctic and North Pacific, the male having mainly grey-blue plumage with bold white markings.
    • Histrionicus histrionicus, family Anatidae

adjective

  • in varied colours; variegated.

Origin:

late 16th century: from obsolete French, from earlier Herlequin (or Hellequin), the name of the leader of a legendary troop of demon horsemen; perhaps ultimately related to Old English Herla cyning 'King Herla', a mythical figure sometimes identified with Woden