Definition of VAUDEVILLE

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In the 15th century, several amusing songs became popular across France. These songs were said to have been written by a man named Olivier Basselin who lived in the valley of the river Vire in northwest France. The songs eventually became known as chansons de vau-de-Vire, meaning "songs of the valley of Vire." Other people began writing and performing similar songs, and as this form of entertainment became more widespread, the link to vau-de-Vire was forgotten. The nickname was shortened to one word, vaudevire. As the phenomenon spread beyond France, further changes in pronunciation and spelling shifted vaudevire into vaudeville. The meaning also broadened to include humorous performances and variety shows.

Examples of vaudeville in a Sentence

She became a big star in vaudeville.

Recent Examples on the Web Before the war, my uncle and my dad did vaudeville in Hollywood at 20th Century Fox. — Samantha Laine Perfas, The Christian Science Monitor, "Sacrifice, reconciliation, hope: Readers reflect on Memorial Day," 21 May 2020 He was raised middle class in Shaker Heights and fell in love with sketch comedy after seeing the 1950s vaudeville silliness of bandleader Spike Jones and the City Slickers. — cleveland, "Fred Willard, master comic who starred in ‘Waiting for Guffman,’ has died," 16 May 2020 Barbra Streisand won best actress for playing vaudeville star Fanny Brice in Funny Girl (1968). — Paul Grein, Billboard, "Will Renée Zellweger's Portrayal of Judy Garland Win an Oscar?," 7 Oct. 2019 Those in the game now may encounter virtual rehearsals throughout the day, but expect something that’s communal, gamified and surrealist, all of it furthering the game’s modern virtual-reality vaudeville. — Los Angeles Times, "Actors sheltering at home perform in live VR experiences, making case for new theater form," 26 Apr. 2020 The theater, a 1914 vaudeville house that was restored for a re-opening in 2016, has a capacity of about 750 people. — Mary Colurso | Mcolurso@al.com, al, "Jason Isbell helps Doug Jones court voters at campaign event in Birmingham," 3 Mar. 2020 Alda first learned how to get and keep people’s attention from his parents, vaudeville performers who christened him Alphonso Joseph D’Abruzzo. — Ellen Mccarthy, Washington Post, "Alan Alda would like your attention," 12 Mar. 2020 This groundbreaking work mixing vaudeville with searing pathos is part of the Odyssey’s Circa ’69 season celebrating plays that emerged when the theater was founded. — Los Angeles Times, "L.A. theater for spring: An accidental Stephen Sondheim festival, ‘GoT’ star as Macbeth," 10 Mar. 2020 He is treated by a psychiatric doctor (an agile and witty Thom Sesma), who, in a bonus for the audience, lectures in vaudeville pastiche numbers about the nature of recollection. — Ben Brantley, New York Times, "Review: Lies of Love and Memory Swirl Through ‘Unknown Soldier’," 9 Mar. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'vaudeville.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.