This week’s theme
Words coined after stock characters

This week’s words
zany
punchinello
alazon
eiron
capitano


This week’s comments
AWADmail 846

Next week’s theme
Words that have many unrelated meanings

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(kap-uh-TAH-no)

MEANING:

noun: A swaggering, cowardly person, especially a soldier, policeman, etc.

ETYMOLOGY:

After Capitano, a stock character in commedia dell’arte, from Italian capitano (captain), from Latin caput (head). Earliest documented use: 1594.

USAGE:

“The capitano strode uphill, cloak flowing, minions a respectful distance behind.”
Toby Manning; My Father the Stranger; The Guardian (London, UK); Jan 1, 2011.

See more usage examples of capitano in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: