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Pierrot

1911 Encyclopedia Britannica

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(Ital. Pedrolino), the name given to the leading character in the French pantomime plays since the 18th century; transferred from the Italian stage, and revived especially in recent times. He is always in white, both face and costume, with a loose and daintily clownish garb, and is represented as of a freakish disposition. Modern pierrot plays have converted the pierrot into a romantic and even pathetic figure.