pastorale

noun

pas·​to·​rale ˌpa-stə-ˈräl  -ˈral 

 also  -ˈrä-lē

1

a

: an instrumental or vocal composition having a pastoral theme

b

: an opera of the 16th or 17th centuries having a pastoral plot

2

: pastoral sense 1a

Examples of pastorale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Including 55 serious operas, 6 cantatas, 53 comic operas, 17 operettas, 6 sing-spiele, 4 ballets, 4 vaudevilles, 2 oratorios, one each of fares, pastorales, masques, ballads and buffas. —William Robin, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Italian, from pastorale of herdsmen, from Latin pastoralis

First Known Use

1614, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Kids Definition

pastorale

noun

pas·​to·​rale ˌpas-tə-ˈräl  -ˈral 

: a piece of music for instruments or voices that suggests rural scenes