commedia dell'arte

[ kuh-mey-dee-uh del-ahr-tee; Italian kawm-me-dyah del-lahr-te ]
/ kəˈmeɪ di ə dɛlˈɑr ti; Italian kɔmˈmɛ dyɑ dɛlˈlɑr tɛ /

noun, plural com·me·di·a dell'ar·tes, com·me·di·as dell'ar·te, Italian com·me·die dell'ar·te [kawm-me-dye del-lahr-te] /kɔmˈmɛ dyɛ dɛlˈlɑr tɛ/.

Italian popular comedy, developed chiefly during the 16th–18th centuries, in which masked entertainers improvised from a plot outline based on themes associated with stock characters and situations.

Origin of commedia dell'arte

1875–80; < Italian: literally, comedy of art

British Dictionary definitions for commedia dell'arte

commedia dell'arte
/ (Italian kɔmˈmeːdia delˈlarte) /

noun

a form of popular comedy developed in Italy during the 16th to 18th centuries, with stock characters such as Punchinello, Harlequin, and Columbine, in situations improvised from a plot outline

Word Origin for commedia dell'arte

Italian, literally: comedy of art