Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A character in the commedia dell'arte, portrayed as a foolish old man in tight trousers and slippers.
  • noun A stock character in modern pantomime, the butt of a clown's jokes.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French Pantalon, from Italian Pantalone, after San Pantalone, or Saint Pantaleon (died AD 303), Roman physician and martyr.]

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Examples

  • -- [MS. M.] [395] That is, the Lion of St. Mark, the standard of the republic, which is the origin of the word Pantaloon -- Piantaleone, Pantaleon, Pantaloon.

    The Works of Lord Byron. Vol. 2 George Gordon Byron Byron 1806

  • And they travelled from Greece into Italy, where Charon got called Pantaloon because he acted an old gentleman of Venice, and Saint Pantaleone is a patron of Venice, and there were heaps of people called Pantaleone there in the fifteenth ....

    The Harlequinade An Excursion Harley Granville-Barker 1911

  • Mullins: There's a really interesting story we tell about a company in India called Pantaloon, which started as a manufacturer of men's pants.

    BNET Articles 2010

  • Indian retailers such as Pantaloon are trying to cope with a slowdown in consumer spending resulting from a weakening economy.

    Pantaloon Expects Revenue to Grow 30% 2009

  • Top retailers such as Pantaloon Retail (India) Ltd. and Vishal Retail Ltd. are also either cutting or freezing store openings.

    Koutons Retail Slows Expansion 2009

  • Venice, as all the world knows, has, and still more had, her "Pantaloon," Naples her "Pulcinello," etc. The specialties of the Florentine character are popularly supposed to be embodied in

    Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science Volume 15, No. 87, March, 1875 Various

  • It was for Miss Chase that Barrie wrote "Pantaloon," in which she appeared in conjunction with "Peter Pan," and which gave her a considerable reputation in England.

    Charles Frohman: Manager and Man Daniel Frohman 1895

  • "Alice-Sit-By-The-Fire" was done as a double bill with "Pantaloon," in which Miss Barrymore's brother, John Barrymore, who was now coming to be recognized as a very gifted young actor, scored a big success.

    Charles Frohman: Manager and Man Daniel Frohman 1895

  • It has hired people from larger retail companies such as Pantaloon, Shoppers Stop, Shahi Exports, Lifestyle and Wadhawan Retail.

    The Economic Times 2009

  • So any chains, which make up just 5% of stores, would be prime investment targets, such as Pantaloon, Shopper†™ s Stop, Vishal Retail and Koutons, but the likelihood of it happening in the next 12 months is low.

    The Economic Times 2009

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