# Motley > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Motley > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Motley.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motley > Source revision: 1355266251 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Traditional costume of a court jester For other uses, see [Motley (disambiguation)](/source/Motley_(disambiguation)). This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) This article needs more citations. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Motley" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (April 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message) The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's general notability guideline. Please help to demonstrate the notability of the topic by citing reliable secondary sources that are independent of the topic and provide significant coverage of it beyond a mere trivial mention. If notability cannot be shown, the article is likely to be merged, redirected, or deleted. Find sources: "Motley" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) (Learn how and when to remove this message) A jester dressed in motley **Motley** is the traditional [costume](/source/Costume) of the [court jester](/source/Jester), the motley fool. It is the costume of the [arlecchino](/source/Arlecchino) character in *[commedia dell'arte](/source/Commedia_dell'arte)*,[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] the [harlequin](/source/Harlequin) who wears a patchwork of red, green and blue diamonds. Present-day [fashion](/source/Fashion) occasionally adopts it as a motif.[1] ## Cognate of medley The word *motley* is described in the [Oxford English Dictionary](/source/Oxford_English_Dictionary) as a [cognate](/source/Cognate) of *medley*, although the unrelated *mottled* has also contributed to the meaning. The word is most commonly used as an [adjective](/source/Adjective) or [noun](/source/Noun), but is also seen as a [verb](/source/Verb) and [adverb](/source/Adverb). When used as a noun, it can mean "a varied mixture". As an adjective, it is generally disparaging: a *motley collection* is an uninspiring pile of stuff, as in the cliché [motley crew](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/motley_crew). ## Fabric of mixed colours The word originated in England between the 14th and 17th centuries and referred to a [woollen](/source/Wool) fabric of mixed colours.[2] It was the characteristic dress of the professional fool. During the [Elizabethan era](/source/Elizabethan_era), motley served the important purpose of keeping the fool outside the [social hierarchy](/source/Social_hierarchy) and therefore not subject to class distinction. Since the fool was outside the [dress laws](/source/Sumptuary_law), the fool was able to speak more freely. Likewise, motley did not have to be checkered and has been recently thought to be one pattern with different coloured threads running through it. Motley is the only wear. — [William Shakespeare](/source/William_Shakespeare), [As You Like It](/source/As_You_Like_It), ii. 7 ## See also - [Clown](/source/Clown) - [Harlequin](/source/Harlequin) - [Jester](/source/Jester) - [Shakespearean fool](/source/Shakespearean_fool) - [Trickster](/source/Trickster) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Woody Hochswender (13 Jan 1991). ["With the Motley Look, Clashing is the Intent"](https://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/13/news/with-the-motley-look-clashing-is-the-intent.html). New York Times. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Apparel Search Glossary [\[1\]](https://www.apparelsearch.com/glossary_m_3.htm) Retrieved on: 15 Jan 2020 ## External links - National Guild of Jesters (UK) [Hall of Fame](http://www.jonathanthejester.org.uk/motley.html). Various examples of motley. v t e Clowns List of clowns / List of jesters Types Blackface Bouffon Canadian Chou Circus Contemporary Evil Harlequin Harlequinade Heyoka Jester Mime Pierrot Pueblo Ritual Rodeo Scaramouche Silly Billy Skomorokh Organizations Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army Clown Conservatory Clowns of America International Clowns Gallery-Museum International Clown Hall of Fame Loldiers of Odin Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College World Clown Association World Festival of Clowns in Yekaterinburg Related 2016 clown sightings Clown alley Clown bicycle Clown car Clown Care Clown ministry Clown society Coulrophilia International Clown Week Motley Toronto circus riot Documentaries The Clowns (1970) Category --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Motley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motley) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motley?action=history)). 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