vaudeville
/ˈvɔː.d(ə)ˌvɪl/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.85 in modern English
17
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A style of multi-act theatrical entertainment which originated from France and flourished in Europe and North America from the 1880s through the 1920s.
Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "Mr. Sterling was born in Baltimore on June 24, 1915, to Jack Sexton and Edna Cable, veteran performers in vaudeville, showboats and stock companies."
- "“Me, Myself and I,” directed by Emily Mann and engagingly acted by a cast that includes the invaluable Albee veteran Brian Murray, is in the tradition of Mr. Albee’s mid- and late-career works like “The Marriage Play” and “The Play About the Baby”: fragmented philosophical vaudevilles that turn the most fundamental questions of identity into verbal soft-shoes."
Etymology
Borrowed from French vaudeville.
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈvɔː.d(ə)ˌvɪl/
- British English: /ˈvɔ.d(ə).vɪl/