Harlequin
noun/ˈhɑːləkwɪn/
/ˈhɑːrləkwɪn/
- a humorous character in some traditional plays, who wears special brightly coloured clothes with a diamond patternWord Originlate 16th cent.: 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 (another name for Odin, the supreme god and creator in Scandinavian mythology).
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Harlequin