fado

noun

fa·​do ˈfä-(ˌ)t͟hü How to pronounce fado (audio)
ˈfa-
plural fados
: a plaintive Portuguese folk song

Examples of fado in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Daughter of the renowned fado singer Teresa Siqueira, Carminho released her debut album Fado in 2009, followed by Alma in 2012, Canto in 2014, Carminho canta Tom Jobim in 2016, Maria in 2018 and Portuguesa in 2023 — the last of which earned her a Latin Grammy nomination. Sigal Ratner-Arias, Billboard, 5 Mar. 2024 The film opens with a lonely cowboy (Millennial heartthrob Manu Ríos) singing fado, the Portuguese song of longing and melancholy. Armond White, National Review, 27 Oct. 2023 The Portuguese singer explores her origins and identity in her work, combining traditional fado with a modern flair composed of jazz and world music. Steven Vargas, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2023 Casa-Museu Amália Rodrigues is a museum in the home of the late, great fado music singer, for whom it is named. Seth Sherwood, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2023 Not only hotel guests but also non-guests can enjoy this garden for drinks, meals, or live musical entertainment (including fado) held frequently during the week. Jeanine Barone, Forbes, 18 Apr. 2023 The whiff of sardines sizzling on street-corner barbeques is as much a part of the city’s fabric as mournful fado music or rivalry between the Benfica and Sporting soccer clubs. Paul Ames, CNN, 5 Mar. 2023 Almodóvar previously explained that the film’s title echoes the name of a famous fado written and sung by Amália Rodrigues. Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 2 Dec. 2022 Jose Silva of East Providence, Rhode Island (L) and Emanuel Coelho of the Azores play Portuguese fado music in O Dinis restaurant in East Providence, Rhode Island. Brian Amaral, BostonGlobe.com, 9 June 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fado.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Portuguese, literally, fate, from Latin fatum

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fado was in 1890

Dictionary Entries Near fado

Cite this Entry

“Fado.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fado. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on fado

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!