harlequin

harlequin
    n 1: a clown or buffoon (after the Harlequin character in the
         commedia dell'arte)
    v 1: variegate with spots or marks; "His face was harlequined
         with patches"
    

Harlequin \Har"le*quin\ (h[aum]r"l[-e]*k[i^]n or -kw[i^]n), n.
   [F. arlequin, formerly written also harlequin (cf. It,
   arlecchino), prob. fr. OF. hierlekin, hellequin, goblin, elf,
   which is prob. of German or Dutch origin; cf. D. hel hell.
   Cf. {Hell}, {Kin}.]
   A buffoon, dressed in party-colored clothes, who plays
   tricks, often without speaking, to divert the bystanders or
   an audience; a merry-andrew; originally, a droll rogue of
   Italian comedy. --Percy Smith.
   [1913 Webster]

         As dumb harlequin is exhibited in our theaters.
                                                  --Johnson.
   [1913 Webster]

   {Harlequin bat} (Zool.), an Indian bat ({Scotophilus
      ornatus}), curiously variegated with white spots.

   {Harlequin beetle} (Zool.), a very large South American
      beetle ({Acrocinus longimanus}) having very long legs and
      antenn[ae]. The elytra are curiously marked with red,
      black, and gray.

   {Harlequin cabbage bug}. (Zool.) See {Calicoback}.

   {Harlequin caterpillar}. (Zool.), the larva of an American
      bombycid moth ({Euch[ae]tes egle}) which is covered with
      black, white, yellow, and orange tufts of hair.

   {Harlequin duck} (Zool.), a North American duck
      ({Histrionicus histrionicus}). The male is dark ash,
      curiously streaked with white.

   {Harlequin moth}. (Zool.) See {Magpie Moth}.

   {Harlequin opal}. See {Opal}.

   {Harlequin snake} (Zool.), See {harlequin snake} in the
      vocabulary.
      [1913 Webster]
    

Harlequin \Har"le*quin\ (h[aum]r"l[-e]*k[i^]n or -kw[i^]n), v.
   i.
   To play the droll; to make sport by playing ludicrous tricks.
   [1913 Webster]
    

Harlequin \Har"le*quin\, v. t.
   To remove or conjure away, as by a harlequin's trick.
   [1913 Webster]

         And kitten, if the humor hit
         Has harlequined away the fit.            --M. Green.
   [1913 Webster]
    

103 Moby Thesaurus words for "harlequin":
      Columbine, Dalmatian, Hanswurst, Harlequin, Pantalone, Pantaloon,
      Polichinelle, Pulcinella, Punch, Punchinello, Scaramouch,
      antigorite, bicolor, bicolored, buffo, buffoon, butterfly,
      candy cane, chameleon, check, checker, checkerboard, checkerwork,
      cheetah, chessboard, chrysotile, clown, colorful,
      colors in patches, colory, confetti, crazy, crazy quilt,
      crazy-work, daedal, dichromatic, divers-colored, firedog, fool,
      iris, jack-pudding, jaguar, jester, kaleidoscopic, leopard,
      mackerel, mackerel sky, many-colored, marble, marbled paper,
      marquetry, medley, merry-andrew, moire, mosaic, mother-of-pearl,
      motley, motley fool, multicolor, multicolored, multicolorous,
      nacre, ocelot, opal, ophite, parquet, parquetry, parti-color,
      parti-colored, patchwork, patchwork quilt, peacock, pickle-herring,
      plaid, polychromatic, polychrome, polychromic, prismal, rainbow,
      serpentine, serpentine marble, shot, shot silk, shot through,
      spectral, spectrum, tartan, tessellation, tesserae,
      thunder and lightning, tortoise shell, trichromatic, trichromic,
      tricolor, tricolored, two-tone, varicolored, variegated,
      variegated pattern, versicolor, versicolored, zany, zebra