zarzuela
[ zahr-zwey-luh, -zwee-; Spanish thahr-thwe-lah, sahr-swe- ]
/ zɑrˈzweɪ lə, -ˈzwi-; Spanish θɑrˈθwɛ lɑ, sɑrˈswɛ- /
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.
QUIZZES
HEED THE VOX POPULI, AND TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!
Test your memory on these verbal firecrackers from the week of June 29 to July 5!
Question 1 of 7
anchorite
Origin of zarzuela
1885–90; < Spanish, after La Zarzuela, palace near Madrid where first performance took place (1629)
Words nearby zarzuela
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for zarzuela
The days of the great writers of zarzuela have gone never to return.
Rosinante to the Road Again|John Dos PassosThe 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 MaughamThe last-named type, the zarzuela, became particularly popular.
A History of Spain|Charles E. ChapmanThe play was one of the kind known in Spain as a "Zarzuela," or farce.
Cuba Past and Present|Richard Davey
British Dictionary definitions for zarzuela
zarzuela
/ (zɑːˈzweɪlə) /
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