gagaku

noun

ga·​ga·​ku gä-ˈgä-(ˌ)kü How to pronounce gagaku (audio)
: the ancient court music of Japan

Examples of gagaku in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Salons and concerts were organized; at one, Cage and Henry Cowell presented an evening of Japanese gagaku, and, at another, the German-Japanese poet Sadakichi Hartmann, formerly a Village mainstay, impersonated Edgar Allan Poe. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 21 July 2022

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Japanese, from ga "elegance" + gaku "music"

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gagaku was in 1929

Dictionary Entries Near gagaku

Cite this Entry

“Gagaku.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gagaku. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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