vaudeville

[vawd-vil, vohd-, vaw-duh-]

noun

1. theatrical entertainment consisting of a number of individual performances, acts, or mixed numbers, as by comedians, singers, dancers, acrobats, and magicians.

2. a theatrical piece of light or amusing character, interspersed with songs and dances.

3. a satirical cabaret song.

vaudeville

/ ˈvəʊdəvɪl, ˈvɔː- /

noun

1. Brit name: music hall. variety entertainment consisting of short acts such as acrobatic turns, song-and-dance routines, animal acts, etc, popular esp in the early 20th century

2. a light or comic theatrical piece interspersed with songs and dances

vaudeville

1. Light theatrical entertainment, popular in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, consisting of a succession of short acts. A vaudeville show usually included comedians, singers, dancers, jugglers, trained animals, magicians, and the like.

Word History and Origins

Origin of vaudeville¹

1730–40; < French, shortened alteration of Middle French chanson du vau de Vire “song of the vale ( def. ) of Vire,” a valley of Calvados, France, noted for satirical folksongs

Word History and Origins

Origin of vaudeville¹

C18: from French, from vaudevire satirical folk song, shortened from chanson du vau de Vire song of the valley of Vire, a district in Normandy where this type of song flourished

Example Sentences

His new vaudeville show, “Mister Romantic,” came from a moment of deep reflection.

From Los Angeles Times

As a local kid growing up near the theater, he would walk by and stare in awe at the 1,400-seat venue that showcased vaudeville performances when it opened in 1925.

From Los Angeles Times

With his country twang and aw-shucks mannerisms belying a keen intellect, he was the lasso-roping star of vaudeville and Broadway stage.

From Los Angeles Times

Rose, the archetypal stage mother determined to launch her daughters into the spotlight she was denied, is hustling June and Louise on the vaudeville circuit in the 1920s through the early 1930s.

From Los Angeles Times

The second act begins to drag with slapdash vaudeville showcases that seem like sops to the performers.

From Los Angeles Times