melodrama

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈmɛləˌdɹɑːmə/^[1]

Etymology

It is an alteration of melodrame,^[2][3][4] borrowed from French mélodrame,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Ancient Greek μέλος (mélos, “song”) and French drame “drama”.^{[2][3][4][5][6]}

Earliest recorded meaning

A stage play, usually romantic and sensational, with songs and orchestral music accompanying the action (1809 in the OED and Barnhart; 1784 in Etymonline).^[7][3][4]

Semantic evolution

Over the 19th century the musical element ceased to be essential, and the name came to denote a play marked by sensational incidents and violent appeals to the emotions, usually with a happy ending.^[4][7] By 1814 it was used of real events resembling a melodrama,^[7] and it now applies also to films and television, and to exaggerated, theatrical behaviour.^[2][5][6] Fowler described the melodramatist's task as labelling characters good or wicked and providing striking situations.^[4]

Timeline

• 1782 – melo drame.^[4]
• 1784 – a dramatic composition with music.^[4]
• 1802 – melodrame (Barnhart); Merriam-Webster's date.^[3][5]
• 1809 – melodrama.^[7][3]
• 1814 – real events resembling a melodrama.^[7]
• 1816 – melodramatic.^[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A play, film or other drama marked by exaggerated emotions, stereotyped characters and sensational plot.
2. The dramatic genre made up of such works.
3. Behaviour or events having the exaggerated, theatrical quality of melodrama.
4. (historical) A romantic stage play with songs and orchestral music accompanying the action.

Word family

• melodramatist
• melodramatic
• melodramatics
• melodramatize

Related words

• melody
• drama
• soap opera

References

1. ^ 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 e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press