vaudeville
[ vawd-vil, vohd-, vaw-duh- ]
/ ˈvɔd vɪl, ˈvoʊd-, ˈvɔ də- /
noun
theatrical entertainment consisting of a number of individual performances, acts, or mixed numbers, as by comedians, singers, dancers, acrobats, and magicians.
Compare variety(def 9).
a theatrical piece of light or amusing character, interspersed with songs and dances.
a satirical cabaret song.
Origin of vaudeville
1730–40; < French, shortened alteration of Middle French
chanson du vau de Vire song of the
vale1 of
Vire, a valley of Calvados, France, noted for satirical folksongs
Words nearby vaudeville
vatu,
vauban,
vauch,
vaucluse,
vaud,
vaudeville,
vaudevillian,
vaudois,
vaughan,
vaughan williams,
vaughn
Example sentences from the Web for vaudeville
British Dictionary definitions for vaudeville
vaudeville
/ (ˈvəʊdəvɪl, ˈvɔː-) /
noun
mainly US and Canadian
variety entertainment consisting of short acts such as acrobatic turns, song-and-dance routines, animal acts, etc, popular esp in the early 20th century
Brit name: music hall
a light or comic theatrical piece interspersed with songs and dances
Word Origin for vaudeville
C18: from French, from
vaudevire satirical folk song, shortened from
chanson du vau de Vire song of the valley of Vire, a district in Normandy where this type of song flourished
Cultural definitions for vaudeville
vaudeville
[ (vawd-vuhl, vaw-duh-vil) ]
Light theatrical entertainment, popular in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, consisting of a succession of short acts. A vaudeville show usually included comedians, singers, dancers, jugglers, trained animals, magicians, and the like.