comedies - Definitions from Dictionary.com

2 results for: comedies

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

com·e·dy

Audio Help [kom-i-dee] Pronunciation Key

–noun, plural -dies.

1.	a play, movie, etc., of light and humorous character with a happy or cheerful ending; a dramatic work in which the central motif is the triumph over adverse circumstance, resulting in a successful or happy conclusion.

2.	that branch of the drama which concerns itself with this form of composition.

3.	the comic element of drama, of literature generally, or of life.

4.	any literary composition dealing with a theme suitable for comedy, or employing the methods of comedy.

5.	any comic or humorous incident or series of incidents.

[Origin: 1350–1400; ME comedye < ML cōmédia, L cōmoedia < Gk kōmōidía, equiv. to kōmōid(ós) comedian (kômo(s) merry-making + aoidós singer) + -ia -y³

]

—Related forms

co·me·di·al

Audio Help [kuh-mee-dee-uh

l] Pronunciation Key, adjective

—Synonyms 5. jesting, humor, pleasantry, banter.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
comedies

To learn more about comedies visit Britannica.com

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

com·e·dy Audio Help (kŏm'ĭ-dē) Pronunciation Key
n. pl. com·e·dies

1. A dramatic work that is light and often humorous or satirical in tone and that usually contains a happy resolution of the thematic conflict.
2. The genre made up of such works.
A literary or cinematic work of a comic nature or that uses the themes or methods of comedy.
Popular entertainment composed of jokes, satire, or humorous performance.
The art of composing or performing comedy.
A humorous element of life or literature: the human comedy of political campaigns.
A humorous occurrence.

[Middle English comedie, from Medieval Latin cōmēdia, from Latin cōmoedia, from Greek kōmōidia, from kōmōidos, comic actor : kōmos, revel + aoidos, singer (from aeidein, to sing; see wed-² in Indo-European roots).]

(Download Now or Buy the Book)

Browse Nearby Entries: