fado

[fah-doo, fah-doh]

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.

fado

/ ˈfɑːdu /

noun

1. a type of melancholy Portuguese folk song

Word History and Origins

Origin of fado¹

1900–05; < Portuguese < Latin fatum fate

Word History and Origins

Origin of fado¹

literally: _fate

Example Sentences

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

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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.

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She wandered the old city’s cobblestone streets, visited Belém Tower, rode the Santa Justa Lift and caught a fado performance while she was in town.

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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.

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She sings in the Portuguese fado tradition; she recruits a Cape Verdean choir to back her on a batuque-inspired number; she duets with the recorded voice of the Colombian singer Maluma.

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