n. & v.
--n.
1. a comic entertainer, esp. in a pantomime or circus, usu. with traditional costume and make-up.
2 a silly, foolish, or playful person.
3 archaic a rustic.
--v.
1. intr. (often foll. by about, around) behave like a clown; act foolishly or playfully.
2 tr. perform (a part, an action, etc.) like a clown.
Derivatives:
clownery n. clownish adj. clownishly adv. clownishness n.
Etymology: 16th c.: perh. of LG orig.