QUASIMODO • FREE TRANSLATOR.ORG • Definition of Quasimodo

Quasimodo n. (Fiction) The main character in Victor Hugo's novel "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". The novel was first published in French under the title "Notre Dame de Paris". Quasimodo is a deformed and ugly hunchback who is bellringer at the cathedral of Notre Dame during the reign of Louis XI. He rescues a gypsy girl Esmeralda, falsely convicted of a crime and about to be excuted, and carries her to sanctuary in the cathedral. Near the end of the book he dies while again rescuing her from an abductor. In a movie made in 1923 Quasimodo was portrayed by the actor Lon Chaney, whose impressive makeup and superb acting drew many plaudits. His shout of "Sanctuary! Sanctuary!" when rescuing Esmeralda is still sometimes imitated for humorous or dramatic effect.