zarzuela

[zahr-zwey-luh, -zwee-; Spanish thahr-thwe-lah, sahr-swe-]

noun, plural zar·zue·las

[zahr-zwey-luh z, -zwee-; Spanish thahr-thwe-lahs, sahr-swe-] /zɑrˈzweɪ ləz, -ˈzwi-; Spanish θɑrˈθwɛ lɑs, sɑrˈswɛ-/.

a Spanish opera having spoken dialogue and often a satirically treated, topical theme.

Origin of zarzuela

1885–90; < Spanish, after La Zarzuela, palace near Madrid where first performance took place (1629)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for zarzuela

Historical Examples of zarzuela

The days of the great writers of zarzuela have gone never to return.
Rosinante to the Road Again
John Dos Passos
Suddenly he heard a gay voice humming the refrain of a song from a zarzuela.
Dona Perfecta
B. Perez Galdos
The last-named type, the zarzuela, became particularly popular.
A History of Spain
Charles E. Chapman
The play was one of the kind known in Spain as a "Zarzuela," or farce.
Cuba Past and Present
Richard Davey
The zarzuela, I should add, lasts about an hour, and for the most part is divided into three scenes.
The Land of The Blessed Virgin; Sketches and Impressions in Andalusia
William Somerset Maugham

British Dictionary definitions for zarzuela

zarzuela

noun

a type of Spanish vaudeville or operetta, usually satirical in nature
a seafood stew

Word Origin for zarzuela

from Spanish, from La Zarzuela, name of the palace near Madrid where such vaudeville was first performed (1629)

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