commedia dell'arte

/kəˈmeɪdiə dɛl ˈɑː(ɹ)teɪ/

noun

An early form of Italian theatre characterised by stock characters in a variety of masks, popular in Europe from the 16th to the 18th century.

Similar
commedia
OriginItalian commedia dell'arte →
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Meanings

nouncommedia dell'arte (countable and uncountable, plural commedie dell'arte or commedias dell'arte)

plural commedie dell'arte · plural commedias dell'arte

  1. countableuncountableentertainmentAn early form of Italian theatre characterised by stock characters in a variety of masks, popular in Europe from the 16th to the 18th century.

    Synonyms: commedia

Synonyms & antonyms

nounAn early form of Italian theatre characterised by stock characters in a variety of masks, popular in Europe from the 16th to the 18th century.

Similar
commedia

Origin

  1. Italiancommedia dell'arte
  2. Englishcommedia dell'arte

Unadapted borrowing from Italian commedia dell'arte (literally “comedy of the art”).

More words from Italian

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 義大利即興喜劇 /义大利即兴喜剧
  • 義大利即興喜劇 /义大利即兴喜剧form of Italian theatre
Italian commedia dell'arte
  • commedia dell'arteform of Italian theatre
Polish commedia dell'arte
  • commedia dell'arteform of Italian theatre
Spanish comedia del arte
  • comedia del arteform of Italian theatre
Cite this entry
APA

commedia dell'arte. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/commedia%20dell'arte

MLA

“commedia dell'arte.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/commedia%20dell'arte. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “commedia dell'arte,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/commedia%20dell'arte.

Source: commedia dell'arte on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.