Main Difference
The main difference between Jester and Clown is that the Jester is a historical entertainer and Clown is a comic performer.
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.
Clown
Clowns are comic performers who employ slapstick or similar types of physical comedy, often in a mime style.
Jester (noun)
One who jests, jokes or mocks.
Jester (noun)
A person in colourful garb and fool’s cap who amused a medieval and early modern royal or noble court.
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.
Clown (noun)
A person who acts in a silly fashion.
Clown (noun)
A stupid person.
Clown (noun)
A man of coarse nature and manners; an awkward fellow; an illbred person; a boor.
Clown (noun)
One who works upon the soil; a rustic; a churl; a yokel.
Clown (verb)
To act in a silly or playful fashion.
Jester (noun)
a professional joker or ‘fool’ at a medieval court, typically wearing a cap with bells on it and carrying a mock sceptre.
Jester (noun)
a person who habitually plays the fool.
Clown (noun)
a comic entertainer, especially one in a circus, wearing a traditional costume and exaggerated make-up
“a circus clown”
Clown (noun)
a playful, extrovert person
“Martin was always the class clown”
Clown (noun)
a foolish or incompetent person
“we need a serious government, not a bunch of clowns”
Clown (noun)
an unsophisticated country person; a rustic.
Clown (verb)
behave in a comical or playful way
“Harvey clowned around pretending to be a dog”