Etymology
From Middle English comedie, from Middle French comedie, from Latin cōmoedia, from Ancient Greek κωμῳδία or kōmōidía, from κῶμος or kômos (revel, carousing) + either ᾠδή or ōidḗ (song) or ἀοιδός or aoidós (singer, bard), both from ἀείδω or aeídō (I sing).
Noun
comedy (countable and uncountable, plural comedies)
- (historical) A choric song of celebration or revel, especially in Ancient Greece.
- A light, amusing play with a happy ending.
- A Midsummer Night's Dream is among Shakespeare's most famous comedies.
- (Medieval Europe) A narrative poem with an agreeable ending (e.g., The Divine Comedy).
- (drama) A dramatic work that is light and humorous or satirical in tone.
- (drama) The genre of such works.
- Entertainment composed of jokes, satire, or humorous performance.
- Stand-up comedy and humorous films are the most common forms of comedy; humorous songs are underrated.
- The art of composing comedy.
- A humorous event.
Derived terms
- black comedy
- comedian
- comedic
- comedically
- improvisational comedy
- observational comedy
- physical comedy
- prop comedy
- romantic comedy
- screwball comedy
- situation comedy
- stand-up comedy
Related terms
- comic
- comical
Credits
New World Encyclopedia writers and editors copied and adjusted this Wiktionary entry in accordance with NWE standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit for this article is due to both New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions at Wiktionary is accessible to researchers here:
