serenade
pronunciation
How to pronounce serenade in British English:
UK [ˌserəˈneɪd]
How to pronounce serenade in American English:
US [ˌsɛrəˈned, ˈsɛrəˌned]
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- Noun:
- a musical composition in several movements; has no fixed form
- a song characteristically played outside the house of a woman
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- Verb:
- sing and play for somebody
Word Origin
- serenade
- serenade: [17] A serenade is strictly a ‘song sung in the evening’, but in fact historically it has nothing to do with ‘night’ – etymologically it is a ‘serene’ piece of music. The word comes via French sérénade from Italian serenata, a derivative of sereno ‘serene’. The notion of a serenata as a piece of ‘night’ music arose through association with sera ‘evening’ (a relative of French soir ‘evening’, from which English gets soirée [19]). Italian sereno came from Latin serēnus ‘bright, clear’, which also produced English serene [16].=> serene
- serenade (n.)
- 1640s, "musical performance at night in open air" (especially one given by a lover under the window of his lady), from French sérénade (16c.), from Italian serenata "an evening song," literally "calm sky," from sereno "the open air," noun use of sereno "clear, calm," from Latin serenus "peaceful, calm, serene." Sense influenced by Italian sera "evening," from Latin sera, fem. of serus "late." Meaning "piece of music suitable for a serenade" is attested from 1728.
- serenade (v.)
- 1660s, from serenade (n.). Related: Serenaded; serenading.
Example
- 1. Barbarina and some peasant girls , including cherubino in disguise , come to serenade the countess .
- 2. Serenade the world with your song !
- 3. Let me serenade your soul when your feeling down and low boy , you make me feel so high together we can fly .
- 4. I prefer schubert 's serenade .
- 5. Love , this is my song , here is a song , a serenade to you .