guignol
noun
gui·gnol
gēnˈyȯl,
-yōl
plural -s
sometimes capitalized
1
: puppet
especially : hand puppet compare marionette
2
: puppet show
3
: a theatrical production featuring melodramatic tension, horror, and shock
Word History
Etymology
French, probably after Guignol, reputed name of a silkworker of Lyons and character of the puppet theater which Laurent Mourquet installed there for the earliest performance (in 1795) of French puppet shows