clownship

English

Etymology

clown +‎ -ship

Noun

clownship (uncountable)

1. The role or art of a clown.
   • 1926, The Twentieth Century, volume 99, page 450:

     When the miracle plays became too comic for the taste of the bishops, a generation of lay showmen carried on the tradition of clownship. The combination of showman and dramatist did not outlive the Elizabethans; […]