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cabalette

 - 2 dictionary results

ca⋅ba⋅let⋅ta

  [kab-uh-let-uh, kah-buh-; It. kah-bah-let-tah]
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–noun, plural -let⋅tas, -let⋅te  [-let-ey; It. -let-te] .
a short, operatic aria of simple form and style.
Origin:
1835–45; < It, alter. of coboletta stanza, dim. of cob(b)ola, cobla stanza, couplet < OPr cobla < L cōpula bond; see copula
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ca·ba·let·ta   (kāb'ə-lět'ə, kä'bə-)   
n.   pl. ca·ba·let·tas or ca·ba·let·te (-lět'ē)

    1. A short aria that has a repetitive rhythm and a simple style.

    2. The final section of an aria or duet marked by a quick uniform rhythm.

  2. Something likened to such a short aria or a final section of a piece: "And a chronic chorus of cascades and birds/Cuts loose in a wild cabaletta" (W.H. Auden).


[Italian, alteration of coboletta, stanza, diminutive of cobola, cobla, from Old Provençal cobla, from Latin cōpula, link.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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