[kuh-mey-dee-uh del-ahr-tee; It. kawm-me-dyah del-lahr-te] 
[kawm-me-dye del-lahr-te] . | Italian popular comedy, developed chiefly during the 16th–18th centuries, in which masked entertainers improvised from a plot outline based on themes associated with stock characters and situations. |
| com·me·dia dell'ar·te (kə-mā'dē-ə děl-är'tē, -tě, -měd'ē-ə) n. A type of comedy developed in Italy in the 16th and 17th centuries and characterized by improvisation from a standard plot outline and the use of stock characters, often in traditional masks and costumes. [Italian : commedia, comedy + dell'arte, of the guild, professional (from arte, art, craft, guild).] |