Meaning of "burlesque" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD BURLESQUE

From French, from Italian burlesco, from burla a jest, piece of nonsense.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF BURLESQUE

burlesque  [bɜːˈlɛsk]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF BURLESQUE

Burlesque is a verb and can also act as a noun and an adjective.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The adjective is the word that accompanies the noun to determine or qualify it.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb burlesque in English.

WHAT DOES BURLESQUE MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Burlesque

Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects. The word derives from the Italian burlesco, which, in turn, is derived from the Italian burla – a joke, ridicule or mockery. Burlesque overlaps in meaning with caricature, parody and travesty, and, in its theatrical sense, with extravaganza, as presented during the Victorian era. "Burlesque" has been used in English in this literary and theatrical sense since the late 17th century. It has been applied retrospectively to works of Chaucer and Shakespeare and to the Graeco-Roman classics. Contrasting examples of literary burlesque are Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock and Samuel Butler's Hudibras. An example of musical burlesque is Richard Strauss's 1890 Burleske for piano and orchestra. Examples of theatrical burlesques include W. S. Gilbert's Robert the Devil and the A. C. Torr – Meyer Lutz shows, including Ruy Blas and the Blasé Roué. A later use of the term, particularly in the United States, refers to performances in a variety show format.

Definition of burlesque in the English dictionary

The first definition of burlesque in the dictionary is an artistic work, esp literary or dramatic, satirizing a subject by caricaturing it. Other definition of burlesque is a ludicrous imitation or caricature. Burlesque is also a play of the 17th–19th centuries that parodied some contemporary dramatic fashion or event.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO BURLESQUE

PRESENT

Present

I burlesque

you burlesque

he/she/it burlesques

we burlesque

you burlesque

they burlesque

Present continuous

I am burlesquing

you are burlesquing

he/she/it is burlesquing

we are burlesquing

you are burlesquing

they are burlesquing

Present perfect

I have burlesqued

you have burlesqued

he/she/it has burlesqued

we have burlesqued

you have burlesqued

they have burlesqued

Present perfect continuous

I have been burlesquing

you have been burlesquing

he/she/it has been burlesquing

we have been burlesquing

you have been burlesquing

they have been burlesquing

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I burlesqued

you burlesqued

he/she/it burlesqued

we burlesqued

you burlesqued

they burlesqued

Past continuous

I was burlesquing

you were burlesquing

he/she/it was burlesquing

we were burlesquing

you were burlesquing

they were burlesquing

Past perfect

I had burlesqued

you had burlesqued

he/she/it had burlesqued

we had burlesqued

you had burlesqued

they had burlesqued

Past perfect continuous

I had been burlesquing

you had been burlesquing

he/she/it had been burlesquing

we had been burlesquing

you had been burlesquing

they had been burlesquing

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will burlesque

you will burlesque

he/she/it will burlesque

we will burlesque

you will burlesque

they will burlesque

Future continuous

I will be burlesquing

you will be burlesquing

he/she/it will be burlesquing

we will be burlesquing

you will be burlesquing

they will be burlesquing

Future perfect

I will have burlesqued

you will have burlesqued

he/she/it will have burlesqued

we will have burlesqued

you will have burlesqued

they will have burlesqued

Future perfect continuous

I will have been burlesquing

you will have been burlesquing

he/she/it will have been burlesquing

we will have been burlesquing

you will have been burlesquing

they will have been burlesquing

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would burlesque

you would burlesque

he/she/it would burlesque

we would burlesque

you would burlesque

they would burlesque

Conditional continuous

I would be burlesquing

you would be burlesquing

he/she/it would be burlesquing

we would be burlesquing

you would be burlesquing

they would be burlesquing

Conditional perfect

I would have burlesque

you would have burlesque

he/she/it would have burlesque

we would have burlesque

you would have burlesque

they would have burlesque

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been burlesquing

you would have been burlesquing

he/she/it would have been burlesquing

we would have been burlesquing

you would have been burlesquing

they would have been burlesquing

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you burlesque
we let´s burlesque
you burlesque

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to burlesque

Past participle

burlesqued

Present Participle

burlesquing

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «BURLESQUE»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «burlesque» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of burlesque

ape · caricatural · caricature · comic · exaggerate · farcical · hudibrastic · imitate · ironical · lampoon · make fun of · mock · mock-heroic · mockery · mocking · parodic · parody · ridicule · satire · satirical · satirize · send up · send-up · spoof · take off · takeoff · travesty

TRANSLATION OF BURLESQUE

Find out the translation of burlesque to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of burlesque from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «burlesque» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 脱衣舞
• Translator English - Spanish: burlesque
• English: burlesque
• Translator English - Hindi: कारटून
• Translator English - Arabic: هزلي
• Translator English - Russian: бурлеск
• Translator English - Portuguese: burlesco
• Translator English - Bengali: প্যারডি
• Translator English - French: burlesque
• Translator English - Malay: Burlesque
• Translator English - German: burleske
• Translator English - Japanese: バーレスク
• Translator English - Korean: 소극
• Translator English - Javanese: Burlesque
• Translator English - Vietnamese: hoạt kê
• Translator English - Tamil: கிண்டல்
• Translator English - Marathi: विडंबन
• Translator English - Turkish: vodvil
• Translator English - Italian: burlesco
• Translator English - Polish: burleski
• Translator English - Ukrainian: бурлеск
• Translator English - Romanian: burlesc
• Translator English - Greek: burlesque
• Translator English - Afrikaans: burleske
• Translator English - Swedish: burlesk
• Translator English - Norwegian: burlesque

7 QUOTES WITH «BURLESQUE»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word burlesque.

1

Pedro Almodovar

The silent film has a lot of meanings. The first part of the film is comic. It represents the burlesque feel of those silent films. But I think that the second part of the film is full of tenderness and emotion.

2

Esme Bianco

Objectivity is almost a choice you make. As a burlesque performer, I didn't choose to be objectified.

3

Caitlin Moran

In the early '90s, it was grunge; everybody was fully clothed. Alanis Morissette was one of the biggest artists in the world, never wore makeup, wearing Doc Marten boots, and then the Spice Girls turn up, and suddenly it all looks a bit burlesque; suddenly they're the biggest band in the world.

4

Martin Mull

Some of the pictures I must say every now and then I just think are going to be funny. When it gets that much, you might as well just pull out all the stops and make it more of a burlesque.

5

Dawn Powell

The human comedy is always tragic, but since its ingredients are always the same - dupe, fox, straight, like burlesque skits - the repetition through the ages is comedy.

6

George Sidney

I've had 79 to 80 years of show business. I started when I was 5 with a man called Tom Mix. I didn't have time to go to school because I was in silent movies, I was in radio, I was in burlesque, I worked with the circus. I'm all show business!

7

I. F. Stone

The difference between burlesque and the newspapers is that the former never pretended to be performing a public service by exposure.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «BURLESQUE»

Discover the use of burlesque in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to burlesque and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Burlesque: Legendary Stars of the Stage

They were temptresses of tease and specialists in seduction - bawdy and beautiful burlesque performers.

Jane Briggeman, 2004

The Burlesque Handbook

The Burlesque Handbook is the essential manual to understanding and performing both classic and neo-burlesque.

Jo Weldon, 2010

Burlesque and the Art of the Teese/Fetish and the Art of the ...

A two-sided photographic tour of the world of modern American burlesque and fetish includes in the first part a cultural history of burlesque complemented by the author's provocative tips on erotic fashion and sensuality, and in the second ...

Dita Von Teese, 2006

Burlesque and the New Bump-n-grind

A behind-the-scenes look at burlesque and its resurgence reveals how women from all walks of life are rediscovering and reinventing it, examining the issues of feminism and why audience members are drawn to the shows. Original.

Michelle Baldwin, 2004

Burlesque: Pop Culture

Learn about the development of Burlesque performance with iMinds insightful audio knowledge series. Burlesque is a theatrical performance concerned with parody and exaggeration. But it didn't originate in the theatre.

iMinds, 2009

Burlesque West: Showgirls, Sex, and Sin in Postwar Vancouver

In Burlesque West, the first critical history of the city's notorious striptease scene, Becki Ross delves into the erotic entertainment industry at the northern end of the dancers' west coast tour - the North-South route from Los Angeles to ...

Becki Ross, 2009

The Happy Stripper: Pleasures and Politics of the New Burlesque

Embodied by high profile artists such as Dita von Teese and Catherine d'Lish, the explosive revival of striptease, burlesque and overt female sexual performance has proved no less alluring to a new generation women artists familiar with the ...

Jacki Willson, 2008

Horrible Prettiness: Burlesque and American Culture

A critical history of American burlesque traces its social, demographic, and cultural changes

Robert Clyde Allen, 1991

Burlesque: Webster's Quotations, Facts and Phrases

Proceeds from this book are used to expand the content and coverage of Websters Online Dictionary (www.websters-online-dictionary.org).

‎2008

Cervantes and the Burlesque Sonnet

"A substantial contribution to an enhanced appreciation and understanding of Cervantes.

Adrienne Laskier Martín, 1991

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «BURLESQUE»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term burlesque is used in the context of the following news items.

Burlesque goes dark in festival

The Fremantle event has been dubbed a neo-burlesque feast, celebrating the weird, wacky, wild and outrageous associated with burlesque. «Community Newspaper Group, Jul 15»

Lalas Burlesque, billed as Los Angeles' hottest, coming to Sands …

A burlesque group that calls itself the hottest in Los Angeles and which has appeared on television shows such as “Glee” and “CSI: NY,” will ... «Allentown Morning Call, Jul 15»

Knife throwing, sword eating and burlesque: Pretty Things …

A roadshow from California is coming to Bristol, bringing burlesque, glamour and comedy with it. The Pretty Things Peepshow, a vintage ... «Bristol Post, Jul 15»

VIDEO: Burlesque show at Doncaster Steampunk

Hundreds of colourfully dressed fans descended on Doncaster Deaf Trust on Leger Way for a weekend of weird and wonderful fun with stalls, ... «The Star, Jul 15»

Guildford Fringe Festival to finish with burlesque

Burlesque and cabaret artists are known for their talent to tease and create illusions that speaks to your desires and G Live alongside Hundred ... «This is our Town Guildford, Jul 15»

Walking in a burlesque performer's shoes

Rose Noir, of Boulder, will take the aerial hoop blindfolded at the Colorado Burlesque Festival at Lannie's Clocktower Cabaret and Paramount ... «Boulder Daily Camera, Jul 15»

Reminder: SUICIDEGIRLS BLACKHEART BURLESQUE will Have A …

The popular alternative modeling crew have branched out from modeling to burlesque performances. Last year at San Diego Comic-Con, the ... «Nuke The Fridge, Jul 15»

BURLESQUE UNDER THE STARS

Presenting an evening of beautiful Burlesque, with a twisted Moulin Rouge theme to tantalise & excite your senses with every performance. «The Leader Newspaper Online, Jul 15»

Former Burlesque Stars Prove Eroticism Has No Age Limit (NSFW)

Former Burlesque Stars Prove Eroticism Has No Age Limit (NSFW). Posted: 07/01/2015 10:41 am EDT Updated: 07/06/2015 5:59 pm EDT. Share · Tweet. «Huffington Post, Jul 15»

On this day in history, Congress killed some time by making …

They also made "burlesque motions," which we're guessing involves the first definition of "burlesque" and not the third. This is how we lived ... «Washington Post, Jun 15»