Definition

1. Noun:
   • A male character in French pantomime: A traditional theatrical character, typically depicted as a sad, lovesick clown. He is conventionally dressed in loose white clothing with a whitened face, often wearing a black skullcap.
   • A performer portraying this character: An actor or mime artist who plays the role of Pierrot in a performance.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The silent mime performed as a classic pierrot, his white costume and painted face conveying deep melancholy.
  • In the 19th-century French pantomime, the pierrot was a central, tragicomic figure.

Advanced Usage

• Cultural Reference: The character of Pierrot became a symbol of the lonely, poetic dreamer in European art and literature, extending beyond theater into poetry and painting.
  • The poet identified with the pierrot, seeing in him the eternal outsider.

Variants and Related Words

• Pierrette (n): The traditional female counterpart or companion to the Pierrot character.
  • The pierrot and pierrette performed a delicate dance of unrequited love.

Synonyms

• Whiteface clown: A type of clown characterized by a fully whitened face, from which the Pierrot character evolved.
• Mime: A performer who uses gestures and body movement without speech; Pierrot is a specific character often performed by mimes.

Related Phrases

• Pierrot figure: Used metaphorically to describe someone who is naive, sentimental, or pathetically sad.
  • He was a bit of a pierrot figure, always sighing over unattainable loves.

Related Idioms

• "To play the pierrot": To act the part of a sad, lovesick fool.
  • Stop playing the pierrot and tell her how you feel.

Noun

1. a male character in French pantomime; usually dressed in white with a whitened face