libretto

[ li-bret-oh ]

/ lɪˈbrɛt oʊ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR libretto ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural li·bret·tos, li·bret·ti [li-bret-ee] /lɪˈbrɛt i/.

the text or words of an opera or similar extended musical composition.

a book or booklet containing such a text.

Nearby words

Origin of libretto

1735–45; < Italian, diminutive of libro book < Latin liber; see -et

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

Examples from the Web for libretto

I own a CD, have heard it, and have read the libretto three or four times.
Rudy Giuliani: Why I Protested ‘The Death of Klinghoffer’|Rudy Giuliani|October 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ideas for a novel, the notes I took when working with a composer on the libretto for an opera I did in 2008.
Amy Tan: How I Write|Noah Charney|December 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Watching the court appearance was, to the untrained eye, like watching a German opera without a libretto.
How the West Memphis Three Got Out|Gerald L. Shargel|August 22, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Disconnected episodes, then, may possibly make a vaudeville sketch or the libretto of a lower order of musical comedy.
Dramatic Technique|George Pierce Baker

Mr Saltzburg gave a spirited and lifelike representation of a manager laughing ha-ha when begged to disgorge a libretto.
The Little Warrior|P. G. Wodehouse
That mood does express itself in the plot and the incidents of the libretto, although in them it is empty of value or passion.
Essays on Art|A. Clutton-Brock
The libretto of Cenerentola is an adaptation from Etiennes Cendrillon.
The Life of Rossini|Henry Sutherland Edwards
The libretto was written by Ostrowsky, one of the celebrated dramatists of the day.
The World's Great Men of Music|Harriette Brower

British Dictionary definitions for libretto

libretto

/ (lɪˈbrɛtəʊ) /

noun plural -tos or -ti (-tiː)

a text written for and set to music in an opera, etc

Word Origin for libretto

C18: from Italian, diminutive of libro book

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

Word Origin and History for libretto

libretto

(plural libretti), 1742, from Italian libretto, diminutive of libro "book," from Latin liber (genitive libri), see library. Related: Librettist.

libretto

noun, plural li·bret·tos, li·bret·ti [li-bret-ee] /lɪˈbrɛt i/.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of libretto

Examples from the Web for libretto

British Dictionary definitions for libretto

libretto

noun plural -tos or -ti (-tiː)

Word Origin for libretto

Word Origin and History for libretto

libretto