Adjacent Words

Opera definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

OP'ERA, n. [L. opera, work, labor.]
A dramatic composition set to music and sung on the stage, accompanied with musical instruments and enriched with magnificent dresses, machines, dancing, etc.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a drama set to music; consists of singing with orchestral accompaniment and an orchestral overture and interludes
2: a commercial browser
3: a building where musical dramas are performed [syn: opera, opera house]

Merriam Webster's

I. plural of opus II. noun Etymology: Italian, work, opera, from Latin, work, pains; akin to Latin oper-, opus — more at operate Date: 1644 1. a drama set to music and made up of vocal pieces with orchestral accompaniment and orchestral overtures and interludes; specifically grand opera 2. the score of a musical drama 3. the performance of an opera; also a house where operas are performed

Britannica Concise

Musical drama made up of vocal pieces with orchestral accompaniment, overtures, and interludes. Opera was invented at the end of the 16th cent. in an attempt by the Camerata, an academy of Florentine poets, musicians, and scholars, to imitate ancient Greek drama, which was known to have been largely sung or chanted. Since no actual Greek music was known, composers had considerable freedom in reconceiving it. Imitations of Greek pastoral poetry became the basis for early opera libretti. The first operas, by Jacopo Peri (Dafne, 1598; lost) and G. Caccini (Euridice, 1600), consisted throughout of lightly accompanied melody closely imitating inflected speech. C. Monteverdi, the greatest early operatic figure, composed the first masterpiece, Orfeo, in 1607; unlike its predecessors, Orfeo is scored for a small orchestra, and recitative here begins to be clearly distinguished from aria, an achievement that would prove decisive for opera's future success. In France, J.-B. Lully produced a prototype for courtly opera whose influence would dominate French opera through the mid-18th cent. J.-P. Rameau, G. F. Handel, and C. W. von Gluck were the most significant opera composers of the first two-thirds of the 18th cent.; their works were surpassed by the brilliant operas of W. A. Mozart. In the early 19th cent., G. Rossini and G. Donizetti dominated Italian opera. The later 19th cent. saw the great works of G. Verdi and R. Wagner; the latter, with his bold innovations, became the most influential operatic figure since Monteverdi. R. Strauss and G. Puccini wrote the most popular 20th-cent. operas. See also ballad opera, Beijing Opera, operetta.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. 1 a a dramatic work in one or more acts, set to music for singers (usu. in costume) and instrumentalists. b this as a genre. 2 a building for the performance of opera. Phrases and idioms: opera-glasses small binoculars for use at the opera or theatre. opera-hat a man's tall collapsible hat. opera-house a theatre for the performance of opera. Etymology: It. f. L, = labour, work 2. pl. of OPUS.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Opus O"pus, n.; pl. Opera. [L. See Opera.] A work; specif. (Mus.), a musical composition. Note: Each composition, or set of pieces, as the composer may choose, is called an opus, and they are numbered in the order of their issue. (Often abbrev. to op.)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Opera Op"er*a, n. [It., fr. opera work, composition, opposed to an improvisation, fr. L. opera pains work, fr. opus, operis, work, labor: cf. F. op['e]ra. See Operate.] 1. A drama, either tragic or comic, of which music forms an essential part; a drama wholly or mostly sung, consisting of recitative, arials, choruses, duets, trios, etc., with orchestral accompaniment, preludes, and interludes, together with appropriate costumes, scenery, and action; a lyric drama. 2. The score of a musical drama, either written or in print; a play set to music. 3. The house where operas are exhibited. Op['e]ra bouffe [F. op['e]ra opera + bouffe comic, It. buffo], Opera buffa [It.], light, farcical, burlesque opera. Opera box, a partially inclosed portion of the auditorium of an opera house for the use of a small private party. Op['e]ra comique [F.], comic or humorous opera. Opera flannel, a light flannel, highly finished. --Knight. Opera girl (Bot.), an East Indian plant (Mantisia saltatoria) of the Ginger family, sometimes seen in hothouses. It has curious flowers which have some resemblance to a ballet dancer, whence the popular name. Called also dancing girls. Opera glass, a short telescope with concave eye lenses of low power, usually made double, that is, with a tube and set of glasses for each eye; a lorgnette; -- so called because adapted for use at the opera, theater, etc. Opera hat, a gentleman's folding hat. Opera house, specifically, a theater devoted to the performance of operas. Opera seria [It.], serious or tragic opera; grand opera.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(operas) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. An opera is a play with music in which all the words are sung. ...a one-act opera about contemporary women in America. ...an opera singer... He was also learned in classical music with a great love of opera. N-VAR see also soap opera

Foolish Dictionary

A drama that has taken on airs and refuses to speak, yet always sings its own praises. GRAND OPERA An excuse for displaying several boxes of jewelry and peaches with pedigrees.

Moby Thesaurus

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