fa-la

[fah-lah]

noun

1. a text or refrain in old songs.

2. a type of part song or madrigal popular in the 16th and 17th centuries.

fa-la

/ fɑːˈlɑː /

noun

1. (esp in 16th-century songs) a refrain sung to the syllables fa-la-la

Word History and Origins

Origin of fa-la¹

First recorded in 1585–95; special use of fa la, meaningless sound sequence found in old popular refrains