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libretto

[li-bret-oh] Origin

li·bret·to

[li-bret-oh]
noun, plural -bret·tos, -bret·ti [-bret-ee] .
1.
the text or words of an opera or similar extended musical composition.
2.
a book or booklet containing such a text.

Origin:
1735–45; < Italian, diminutive of libro book < Latin liber; see -et
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Libretto is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
Collins
World English Dictionary
libretto (lɪˈbrɛtəʊ)
 
n , pl -tos, -ti
a text written for and set to music in an opera, etc
 
[C18: from Italian, diminutive of libro book]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

libretto
(pl. libretti), 1742, from It. libretto, dim. of libro "book," from L. liber (gen. libri), see library. Related: Librettist.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

libretto

text of an opera, operetta, or other kind of musical theatre. It is also used, less commonly, for a musical work not intended for the stage. A libretto may be in verse or in prose; it may be specially designed for a particular composer, or it may provide raw material for several; it may be wholly original or an adaptation of an existing play or novel.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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