serenade

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˌsɛɹəˈneɪd/, /ˈsɛɹəˌneɪd/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French sérénade,^[2][3][4][5] from Italian serenata (“evening song”),^[2][3][4][5] literally “calm sky”,^[4][6] from sereno (“the open air; clear, calm”),^[2][3][4][5] from Latin serēnus (“peaceful, calm, clear”) (see serene).^[2][3][4][5] The Italian word was influenced in meaning by sera (“evening”), from Latin sēra, feminine of sērus (“late”).^[3][4][6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

A musical performance given at night in the open air, especially by a lover under his lady's window (1649 in Barnhart and Merriam-Webster; 1656 in the OED; 1640s in Etymonline).^[3][5][8][4]

Semantic evolution

The word's origins require only that the performance be “serene”; the association with night comes from Italian sera.^[9][6] In the late 17th century it was also a poem suitable for such a performance (1710, now obsolete).^[8] From 1728 it meant a piece of music composed for such a performance,^[8][4] and later an instrumental work in several movements for a small ensemble, between the suite and the symphony.^[2][5][10] The verb, to perform a serenade, is from 1668,^[8][3][5] and to entertain someone with one from 1672.^[8] In some American dialects a serenade is a shivaree.^[2][7]

Timeline

• 1649 – a night performance in the open air.^[3][5]
• 1668 – verb, to perform a serenade.^[8][3][5]
• 1672 – verb, to entertain with a serenade.^[8]
• 1728 – a piece composed for such a performance.^[8]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A performance of music given to honour or court someone, especially at night outside the person's window.
2. A piece of music suitable for such a performance.
3. An instrumental composition in several movements for a small ensemble, with features of the suite and the sonata; a divertimento.
4. (US dialect) A shivaree.

Verb

1. To perform a serenade for someone.
2. To perform a serenade.

Word family

• serenader
• unserenaded

Related words

• serene
• serenata
• aubade
• nocturne

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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 e f g h i Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
7. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
8. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
9. ^ Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
10. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House