Meaning

noun a clown or buffoon (after the Harlequin character in the commedia dell'arte)

verb variegate with spots or marks

originFrom earlier Harlicken, from Middle French Harlequin (in Italian Arlecchino, the name of a popular servant character in commedia dell'arte plays), from Old French Harlequin, Halequin, Herlequin, Hellequin, Hierlekin, Hellekin (a demon, malevolent spirit), probably of Germanic origin, connected to the Old English figure of *Herla Cyning (“King Herla”, a mythical figure identified with Woden) or…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0