Bouffe
/buːf/noun
A comic opera or a comic operatic style, especially in the phrase “opéra bouffe.”
Did you know?The term entered English through French opéra bouffe, a genre of satirical comic opera that flourished in nineteenth-century Europe and mocked social conventions through exaggerated performance.
Etymological Timeline
16th Century
Italian
buffo
“Comic or humorous, especially in theatrical performance”
16th Century
Italian
buffone
“A buffoon or comic performer”
17th Century
French
bouffe
“Comic; used of theatrical or operatic works”
19th Century
French
opéra bouffe
“Comic opera, often satirical and farcical”
19th Century
English
bouffe
“A comic opera or comic operatic style”
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