harlequin vs buffoon

harlequin and buffoon both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
harlequin	Yes	No	Yes	No
buffoon	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, buffoon is a hypernym of harlequin; that is, buffoon is a word with a broader meaning than harlequin:

harlequin: a clown or buffoon (after the Harlequin character in the commedia dell'arte)
buffoon: a person who amuses others by ridiculous behavior

Other hypernyms of harlequin include clown, goof, goofball, merry andrew.

harlequin (noun)	buffoon (noun)
a clown or buffoon (after the Harlequin character in the commedia dell'arte)	a person who amuses others by ridiculous behavior
	a rude or vulgar fool

harlequin (verb)	buffoon (verb)
variegate with spots or marks