zarzuela

Z10A1R1Z10U1E1L1A1
US/zɑɹˈzweɪlə/UK/zɑːˈzweɪlə/

noun

A form of Spanish opera having spoken dialogue and usually a comic subject.

OriginSpanish zarzuela →
UncommonScrabble 26
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Meanings

nounzarzuela (countable and uncountable, plural zarzuelas)

plural zarzuelas

  1. countableuncountableentertainmentA form of Spanish opera having spoken dialogue and usually a comic subject.
  2. countableuncountablecookingA Catalan fish soup or stew.

    Only in Catalonia can you eat a proper zarzuela, a gargantuan fish soup; […].

    1964, Jan Morris, “Plural Spain”, in Spain, Faber and Faber, published 2008, →ISBN

Origin

  1. Spanishzarzuela
  2. Englishzarzuela

Borrowed from Spanish zarzuela, probably from the Palace of Zarzuela, royal residence near Madrid where it was first performed.

More words from Spanish

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan sarsuela, sarsuela
  • sarsuelaopera
  • sarsuelafish soup
  • sarsuela de peixfish soup
Polish zarzuela, zarzuela
  • zarzuelaopera
  • zarzuelafish soup
Spanish zarzuela, zarzuela
  • zarzuelaopera
  • zarzuelafish soup
Tagalog sarsuwela
  • sarsuwelaopera
Cite this entry
APA

zarzuela. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zarzuela

MLA

“zarzuela.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zarzuela. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “zarzuela,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/zarzuela.

Source: zarzuela on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.