soubrette

noun

sou·​brette sü-ˈbret 

1

a

: a coquettish maid or frivolous young woman in comedies

b

: an actress who plays such a part

2

: a soprano who sings supporting roles in comic opera

Examples of soubrette in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Not only did diners want to enjoy her singing in the cabaret, no doubt many could not resist coming to see for themselves the soubrette who had inspired such fury in the late George VI. —Olivia Williams, Town & Country, 1 June 2021

That show featured a song called 'The Yama Yama Man,’ in which chorus girls cavorted in Yama Yama suits while a soubrette sang about the creepy Yama Yama Man. —Bulletin Board, Twin Cities, 5 Feb. 2017

Word History

Etymology

French, from Occitan soubreto, feminine of soubret coy, from soubra to surmount, exceed, from Latin superare — more at insuperable

First Known Use

1753, in the meaning defined at sense 1a