Motley been recently thought to be one pattern with different coloured threads running through it. Motley Motley is the traditional costume of the court jester, fool, or the harlequin character in "commedia dell'arte". The harlequin wears a patchwork of red, green and blue diamonds that is still a fashion motif. The word "motley" is described in the Oxford English Dictionary as a cognate of "medley", although the unrelated "mottled" has also contributed to the meaning. The word is most commonly used as an adjective or noun, but is also seen as a verb and adverb. When used as a noun, it
Court jester hypothesis Court jester hypothesis In evolutionary theory, the court-jester hypothesis contrasts the Red Queen hypothesis. University of California, Berkeley professor Anthony D. Barnosky coined the term in 1999 in reference to the idea that abiotic forces (including climate), rather than biotic competition between species, function as a major driving force behind the processes in evolution which produce speciation. The "Red Queen hypothesis" is a term coined by Leigh Van Valen, in 1973, in a reference to the Lewis Carroll book "Through the Looking Glass". It refers in evolution theory to the arms race of evolutionary developments and counter-developments that cause co-evolving