Vaudeville Meaning
/ˈvɔ.d(ə).vɪl/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA style of multi-act theatrical entertainment which originated from France and flourished in Europe and North America from the 1880s through the 1920s.
nounAn entertainment in this style.
Sentence Examples
What is this? Vaudeville?
What do you know about vaudeville?
CEFR Practice Quiz
In the early 1900s, ____ theaters featured a mix of comedy, music, and magic.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
____ was a popular type of entertainment in the past that featured many different acts, such as songs and dances today.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree French vaudevillebor. English vaudeville Borrowed from French vaudeville.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Mr. Sterling was born in Baltimore on June 24, 1915, to Jack Sexton and Edna Cable, veteran performers in vaudeville, showboats and stock companies."
— 1990 November 2, Peter B. Flint, “Jack Sterling, 75, Host on Radio For 18 Years in New York, Dies”, in The New York Times:
"“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."
— 2008 January 28, Ben Brantley, “Ta-ta! Give ’Em the Old Existential Soft-Shoe”, in The New York Times:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
In the early 1900s, ____ theaters featured a mix of comedy, music, and magic.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
____ was a popular type of entertainment in the past that featured many different acts, such as songs and dances today.