serenade
serenade Lexical Profile
serenade Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A piece of music sung or played in the open air, typically by a man at night under the window of his beloved.
"She stepped onto the balcony to listen to his romantic guitar serenade."
An instrumental musical composition in several movements,typically light and tuneful in character and smaller in scale than a symphony.
"The chamber orchestra opened the evening concert with Mozart's famous serenade for strings."
• verb
To entertain or court someone by singing or playing music for them, especially outdoors at night.
"A group of strolling musicians serenaded the diners on the restaurant patio."
Word Nuance & Usage
Historically, a 'serenade' is music performed in the evening, contrasting with an 'aubade,' which is a song or poem greeting the dawn.
• Rhymes for serenade
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the mid-17th century from French sérénade, from Italian serenata, derived from sereno ('clear, calm' of the sky, from Latin serenus), though historically folk-etymologized as deriving from Italian sera ('evening') because such songs were traditionally sung outdoors at night.