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opera buffa

[op-er-uh boo-fuh, op-ruh; Italian aw-pe-rah boof-fah]
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noun, plural o·pe·ra buf·fas, o·pe·ras buf·fa, Italian o·pe·re buf·fe [aw-pe-re boof-fe] /ˈɔ pɛ rɛ ˈbuf fɛ/.
  1. an Italian farcical comic opera originating in the 18th century and containing recitativo secco, patter songs, and ensemble finales.
  2. the operatic genre comprising such works.
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Origin of opera buffa

Borrowed into English from Italian around 1795–1805
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for opera buffa

Historical Examples

  • It was an opera-buffa, the music of Burellano was excellent, and the singers were very good.

    The Memoires of Casanova, Complete

    Jacques Casanova de Seingalt

British Dictionary definitions for opera buffa

opera buffa

noun plural opera buffas or opere buffe (Italian ˈopere ˈbuffe)
  1. comic opera, esp that originating in Italy during the 18th century
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Word Origin

from Italian: comic opera
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