Fluellen

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A Welsh army captain in Shakespeare's play Henry V, known for his pedantic speech and devotion to military history
2. The comic Welsh officer who serves under King Henry in Shakespeare's historical drama about the Battle of Agincourt
3. A garrulous, loyal Welsh soldier appearing in Shakespeare's Henry V, famous for his love of tactics and classical comparisons

Etymology: Fluellen is the name of a Welsh army captain in Shakespeare's "Henry V," a garrulous, pedantic officer who loves comparing things to Alexander the Great and to Monmouth. The name is a rendering of the Welsh "Llywelyn," one of the most common personal names in medieval Wales, borne by several princes of Gwynedd. English writers often altered Welsh names to suit English mouths, and the stage Welshman of Shakespeare's day was typically given such anglicized forms. Shakespeare's Fluellen therefore carries a Welsh name in its original sense as a real personal name, with no separate meaning attached to it. The name's comic reputation comes from the character rather than from the word itself, and it has since been used mainly as a reference to him.