fado

American  

[fah-doo, fah-doh] / ˈfɑ dʊ, ˈfɑ doʊ /

noun

1. a Portuguese folk song typically of doleful or fatalistic character and usually accompanied on the guitar.

2. a dance to the music of such a song.

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fado British  

/ ˈfɑːdu /

noun

1. a type of melancholy Portuguese folk song

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Etymology

Origin of fado

1900–05; < Portuguese < Latin fatum fate

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, the Romans lose all desire to fight upon hearing the melancholic "fado" Portuguese music.

From Barron's • Oct. 23, 2025

Portuguese Catholic parishes and Portuguese halls — where weddings, festas and soulful fado concerts take place — dot the tiny towns that stretch from roughly Bakersfield to Redding.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 30, 2024

Same for the child of Carminho, the Portuguese fado singer whom Veloso duets with on this new record.

From Washington Post • Oct. 22, 2021

To honour him, a stone plaque was placed on the walls of the National Pantheon in Lisbon, which houses the tombs of major personalities from well-known fado singer Amalia Rodrigues to footballer Eusebio.

From Reuters • Oct. 19, 2021

They even swam, once, and Carl played at learning two new dances, strangely called the "fox trot" and the "lu lu fado."

From The Trail of the Hawk A Comedy of the Seriousness of Life by Lewis, Sinclair