Main Difference
The main difference between Jester and Clown is that the Jester is a historical entertainer and Clown is a comic performer.
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Jester
A jester, court jester, or fool, was historically an entertainer during the medieval and Renaissance eras who was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch employed to entertain him and his guests. A jester was also an itinerant performer who entertained common folk at fairs and markets. Jesters are also modern-day entertainers who resemble their historical counterparts.
Jesters in medieval times are often thought to have worn brightly coloured clothes and eccentric hats in a motley pattern and their modern counterparts usually mimic this costume. Jesters entertained with a wide variety of skills: principal among them were song, music, and storytelling, but many also employed acrobatics, juggling, telling jokes, and magic tricks. Much of the entertainment was performed in a comic style and many jesters made contemporary jokes in word or song about people or events well known to their audiences.
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Clown
Clowns are comic performers who employ slapstick or similar types of physical comedy, often in a mime style.
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Jester (noun)
One who jests, jokes or mocks.
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Jester (noun)
A person in colourful garb and fool’s cap who amused a medieval and early modern royal or noble court.
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Clown (noun)
A slapstick performance artist often associated with a circus and typically characterised by bright, oversized clothing, a red nose, face paint, and a brightly colored wig.
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Clown (noun)
A person who acts in a silly fashion.
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Clown (noun)
A stupid person.
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Clown (noun)
A man of coarse nature and manners; an awkward fellow; an illbred person; a boor.
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Clown (noun)
One who works upon the soil; a rustic; a churl; a yokel.
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Clown (verb)
To act in a silly or playful fashion.
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Jester (noun)
a professional joker or ‘fool’ at a medieval court, typically wearing a cap with bells on it and carrying a mock sceptre.
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Jester (noun)
a person who habitually plays the fool.
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Clown (noun)
a comic entertainer, especially one in a circus, wearing a traditional costume and exaggerated make-up
“a circus clown”
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Clown (noun)
a playful, extrovert person
“Martin was always the class clown”
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Clown (noun)
a foolish or incompetent person
“we need a serious government, not a bunch of clowns”
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Clown (noun)
an unsophisticated country person; a rustic.
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Clown (verb)
behave in a comical or playful way
“Harvey clowned around pretending to be a dog”