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

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Cite this Entry

“Gagaku.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gagaku. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.

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