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Glite Dictionary
motley fool

motley fool

9.9
A person who wears bright clothes at a court to make a king or noble laugh
  • noun
  • /ˈmɑtli fuːl/
  • Archaic
translation icon : bufón
  • Wearing bells and a colorful suit, the motley fool delighted the entire court.

Examples

  • The king often laughed at the antics of his motley fool during banquets.

  • In medieval times, a motley fool was often a valued member of the household.

  • In Shakespeare’s plays, the motley fool is sometimes the wisest character.

  • The motley fool entertained the court with his clever jokes.

  • The king often laughed at the antics of his motley fool during banquets.

  • Wearing bells and a colorful suit, the motley fool delighted the entire court.

  • In medieval times, a motley fool was often a valued member of the household.

Synonyms

clown
vsmotley fool
372 1.0

A performer who wears bright clothes and makes people laugh

focuses on medieval court service rather than modern circus performance
fool
vsmotley fool
  • Archaic
31 8.8

An entertainer who amused a king or noble in the past

has identical meaning but is a two-word more descriptive phrase
jester
vsmotley fool
23 7.4

A person who entertains a king or queen with jokes and tricks

is the same court role but described as hired to amuse high-ranking patrons
merry andrew
vsmotley fool
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who acts silly to make other people laugh

is more specific to serving medieval nobles rather than general foolish behaviour

Surface Forms

motley fool singular
motley fools plural

Morphology

motley + fool

The compound is directly compositional: 'motley' (multicoloured jester's garment) modifies 'fool' (a professional clown/jester), so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to a jester or clown wearing motley. This adjective+noun pattern is straightforward and cross-linguistically plausible, making the phrase immediately comprehensible to learners who know the constituents.

Etymology

The noun motley fool comes from the old court jester who wore a brightly colored, mixed costume called motley and acted the fool with bells and jokes. That's why motley fool means 'a professional clown or jester' who entertained a king or noble.