barcarole

or bar·ca·rolle

[bahr-kuh-rohl]

noun

a boating song of the Venetian gondoliers.

a piece of music composed in the style of such songs.

Nearby words

Origin of barcarole

1605–15; < Venetian barcarola boatman's song, feminine of barcarolo, equivalent to barcar- (< Late Latin barcārius boatman; see bark³, -ary) + -olo (≪ Latin -eolus)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for barcarolle

The great Fantaisie, Op. 49, is an epic poem, much as the Barcarolle is a poem of love.
The World's Great Men of Music|Harriette Brower
Margaret began a Barcarolle—presently a loud knock at the door.
Margaret Capel, v. 3 of 3|Ellen Wallace
Lenz, who did not know the barcarolle, thereupon went to a music-shop and read it through attentively.
Frederick Chopin as a Man and Musician|Frederick Niecks
The singing society then sang a barcarolle, the words of the first line being, "Of the sea, our yacht is the pride."
Quincy Adams Sawyer and Mason's Corner Folks|Charles Felton Pidgin

The Barcarolle had an attractive swing about it, and a romantic suggestion of gondolas and lapping water and moonlight serenades.
The Luckiest Girl in the School|Angela Brazil

British Dictionary definitions for barcarolle

barcarole

barcarolle

noun

a Venetian boat song in a time of six or twelve quaver beats to the bar

an instrumental composition resembling this

Word Origin for barcarole

C18: from French, from Italian barcarola, from barcaruolo boatman, from barca boat; see barque

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012