Balatro

In ancient Rome, a balatro was a professional jester or buffoon. [Hor. Sat. i. 2. 2. (cited by Allen)] Balatrones were paid for their jests, and the tables of the wealthy were generally open to them for the sake of the amusement they afforded.

In Horace [Sat ii. 8. 21 (cited by Allen)] "Balatro" is used as a proper name — "Servilius Balatro". An old scholiast, in commenting on this word, derives the common word from the proper names ; buffoons being called balatrones, because Servilius Balatro was a buffoon: but this is opposed to the natural inference from the former passage, and was said to get rid of a difficulty. Festus derives the word from "blatea", and supposes buffoons to have been called balatrones, because they were dirty follows, and were covered with spots of mud ("blateae") with which they got spattered in walking; but this is opposed to sound etymology and common sense. Another writer has derived it from "barathrum", and supposes buffoons to have been called balatrones, because they, so to speak, carried their jesting to market, even into the very depth ("barathrum") of the shambles (barathrum macelli) [Hor. Ep. i. 15. 31. (cited by Allen)] Perhaps "balatro" may be connected with "balare" (to bleat like a sheep, and hence) to speak sillily. It is probably connected with "blatero", a busy-body. [Gell. i. 15. (cited by Allen)]

References

*SmithDGRA|author=Alexander Allen|article=Balatro|page=183

Footnotes