kabuki

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kəˈbuːkiː/ (UK); /kəˈbuːki/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Japanese kabuki,^[2][3][4][5] usually written with characters meaning “song”, “dance” and “skill”, ka (“song”), bu (“dance”) and ki (“art, skill”),^[2][3][6][7] but originally from the verb kabuku (“to deviate from normal manners and customs, do something absurd”).^[4][8][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The popular Japanese drama (1896 in Etymonline; 1899 in the OED, Barnhart and Merriam-Webster).^[4][9][3][5]

Semantic evolution

According to Evans, the first kabuki performance was given about 1603 by a shrine maiden of Kyoto named O-kuni, who “deviated from the normal customs” by dressing as a man and performing satirical dances.^[4][8] Kabuki developed chiefly in the 17th century,^[6] and today all roles, male and female, are played by men.^[2][6][7] It differs both from the older, lyrical Noh drama and puppet plays.^[4][2] In recent use kabuki also means a stylized and often hollow performance, especially political posturing.^[1]

Timeline

• c. 1603 – the first kabuki performance in Kyoto.^[4][8]
• 1896 – in English (Etymonline).^[4]
• 1899 – first quotation in the OED.^[9][3][5]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A form of popular traditional Japanese drama, evolved from the older Noh, in which elaborately costumed male performers use stylized movements, dances and songs to enact tragedies and comedies.
2. A stylized and often hollow performance, especially political posturing.

Related words

• Noh
• bunraku
• kimono

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
8. ^ a b c Evans, Tom (1997), A Dictionary of Japanese Loanwords, Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press
9. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press