barcarole

noun

bar·​ca·​role ˈbär-kə-ˌrōl 

variants or barcarolle

1

: a Venetian boat song usually in ⁶/₈ or ¹²/₈ time characterized by the alternation of a strong and weak beat that suggests a rowing rhythm

2

: music imitating a barcarole

Examples of barcarole in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The barcarole that sentimentally takes Pierrot home back to Bergamo, with a moonbeam for a rudder and a water lily for a boat, gets its sinister, otherworldly wind for its sails from the full quintet up to its eerie tricks. —Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2020

Word History

Etymology

French barcarolle, from Italian dialect (Venice) barcarola, from barcarolo gondolier, from barca bark, from Late Latin

First Known Use

1761, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

barcarole

noun

bar·​ca·​role

variants or barcarolle

ˈbär-kə-ˌrōl 

1

: a Venetian boat song

2

: a piece of music imitating a barcarole