To make something like a harlequin in appearance or style; to dress or decorate in a colorful, patterned, or whimsical way.
From harlequin + -ize suffix indicating transformation or conversion. The suffix -ize has Old Greek origins (via French -iser) and means 'to cause to be' or 'to make into.'
Harlequinize connects to how commedia dell'arte's visual chaos influenced interior design and fashion—the Victorians loved 'harlequin patterns,' and you can still see this legacy in modern Harlequin-patterned tiles that reference centuries-old theater aesthetics.
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