jester
/ˈdʒɛstə
/noun historical
1A professional joker or ‘fool’ at a medieval court, typically wearing a cap with bells on it and carrying a mock sceptre.The gray-furred Child laughed, cavorting around the confused guards like a court jester in a medieval kingdom....
- Like the jester at a medieval court whose caperings and quips recalled the king to sanity, he aimed only to remind the world of its duty.
- The character has a variety of origins, from the medieval court jester to the licensed clown of the Feast of Fools.
Synonyms
fool, court fool, court jester;
clown, harlequin, pantaloon
archaic buffoon, merry andrew, merryman, motley
1.1A person who habitually plays the fool.Princess Maria and Prince Ron manage their Duchy well, but it is also the dumping ground for jesters, knaves and fools....
- Samis are often stereotyped as the comical helpers of Santa Claus or, even more negatively, as drunken fools or jesters.
- So the emperor granted his request and decreed that one day in the year would be set aside for fools and jesters to rule.
Synonyms
joker, comedian, comic, humorist, wag, wit, funny man/woman, prankster, jokester, clown, buffoon, character
informal card, case, caution, hoot, scream, laugh, kidder, wisecracker, riot, barrel of laughs
Australian/New Zealand informal hard case
