Pagliaci

Pagliaci is not a widely used term in English-language references. In many cases it appears as a misspelling or variant of Pagliacci, the title of Ruggero Leoncavallo's famous Italian opera first performed in 1892. The opera tells the story of Canio, the leader of a traveling commedia dell'arte troupe, whose wife’s infidelity leads to murder and tragedy. The title Pagliacci is Italian for “Clowns” and derives from pagliaccio, the singular for clown.

Linguistically, the standard Italian plural of pagliaccio is pagliacci. Because pagliaci does not conform to Italian spelling rules, it is not considered correct in formal Italian contexts. When Pagliaci appears in sources, it is usually best understood as a noncanonical variant, a misspelling, or as a proper noun—such as a surname or place name—rather than a common noun.

In reference works, the canonical form remains Pagliacci for the opera and for the general term clowns in Italian. If you encounter Pagliaci, check the source to determine whether it intends Pagliacci or another use of the word.