Etymology

karaoke

K5A1R1A1O1K5E1

Today it means: A form of entertainment popular in clubs, at parties, etc, in which individual members of the public sing along to pre-recorded instrumental versions of popular songs, the lyrics of which are displayed for the singer on a screen in time with the music. Full definition →

Japanese カラオケ ← English orchestra ← Latin orchēstra
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The story

  1. Japanese空
  2. Ancient Greekὀρχέομαι (orkhéomai)
  3. Ancient Greekὀρχήστρα (orkhḗstra)
  4. Latinorchēstra
  5. Englishorchestra
  6. Japaneseオーケストラ
  7. Japaneseカラオケ
  8. English todaykaraoke

Borrowed from Japanese カラオケ (karaoke), from 空(から) (kara, “empty”) + オケ (oke, “orchestra”), a clipping of オーケストラ (ōkesutora), from English orchestra.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.