This week’s theme
Well-traveled words

This week’s words
angary
serenade
Zion
assassin
aprosexia

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(ser-uh-NAYD)

MEANING:

noun:	1. A love song sung directly to one’s love interest.
	2. A composition for such a performance.
verb tr.:	To sing such a song.

ETYMOLOGY:

From French sérénade, from Italian serenata, from sereno (serene), from Latin serenus (calm). Earliest documented use: 1649.

NOTES:

One of the best examples of a serenade is Mozart’s Serenade No. 13 for strings in G major, commonly known as Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. Traditionally, serenades are performed in the evening, often under the windows of one’s love interest. If the object of your love is a morning person, we recommend singing an aubade, the morning equivalent.

USAGE:

“Fans serenaded their team bus through the streets after a recent win against Asante Ko to ko, their great rivals. ‘Never say die’, runs their motto, ‘until the bones are rotten.’”
Own Goals; The Economist (London, UK); Jun 16, 2018.

“What is the sound of a thousand dolphins? ... It’s like being serenaded by a chorus of dentist’s drills.”
Kennedy Warne; South Africa’s Teeming Seas; National Geographic; Dec 2009.

See more usage examples of serenade in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: