[ ˌpʌn(t)ʃɪ'nɛləʊ ]
■ noun ( plural ~s )
1》 another name for punch 4 (in sense 1).
2》 archaic a short, stout, comical-looking person.
Origin
C17: alt. of Neapolitan dialect Polecenella , perh. a dimin. of pollecena 'young turkey cock with a hooked beak'.