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vaudeville
[ vawd-vil, vohd-, vaw-duh- ]
/ ˈvɔd vɪl, ˈvoʊd-, ˈvɔ də- /
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Definition of vaudeville
noun
theatrical entertainment consisting of a number of individual performances, acts, or mixed numbers, as by comedians, singers, dancers, acrobats, and magicians.Compare variety (def. 9).
a theatrical piece of light or amusing character, interspersed with songs and dances.
a satirical cabaret song.
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Origin of vaudeville
1730–40; <French, shortened alteration of Middle French chanson du vau de Vire “song of the vale of Vire,” a valley of Calvados, France, noted for satirical folksongs
Words nearby vaudeville
vatu, Vauban, vauch, Vaucluse, Vaud, vaudeville, vaudevillian, Vaudois, Vaughan, Vaughan Williams, Vaughn
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use vaudeville in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for vaudeville
vaudeville
/ (ˈvəʊdəvɪl, ˈvɔː-) /
noun
mainly US and Canadian variety entertainment consisting of short acts such as acrobatic turns, song-and-dance routines, animal acts, etc, popular esp in the early 20th centuryBrit name: music hall
a light or comic theatrical piece interspersed with songs and dances
Word Origin for vaudeville
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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Cultural definitions for vaudeville
vaudeville
[ (vawd-vuhl, vaw-duh-vil) ]
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.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.