Aria
nounA long, accompanied song for a single voice, especially within an opera.
How to spell aria
4 letters · 3 syllables
How to pronounce aria
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does aria mean?
- nounA long, accompanied song for a single voice, especially within an opera.
Aria in a sentence
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The soprano closed the first act with a famous aria.
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He practised the same aria for weeks before the audition.
Where does aria come from?
Language of origin: Italian
This word comes straight from Italian aria, which literally means 'air' but came to mean a tune or melody, much as English speakers might call a song an 'air'. The Italian word descends from the Latin aer, meaning 'air' or 'atmosphere', which itself was borrowed from the Greek aer with the same sense. In the world of Italian opera the term settled into a precise musical meaning: an extended, self-contained song for a single voice, designed to show off the performer. English adopted aria in the early 1700s as opera grew fashionable, keeping the Italian spelling and the open, melodic feel of the word. Because it kept its foreign shape, the simple vowel ending (just -ia) can trip up writers who expect a longer or more elaborate spelling.
How the word is built
- aria (from Italian aria: air, tune; ultimately from Latin aer, air)
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