/ ˈhɑːləkwɪn; NAmE ˈhɑːrl-/ noun
an amusing character in some traditional plays, who wears special brightly coloured clothes with a diamond pattern
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WORD ORIGIN
late 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).