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pastorale

American  
[pas-tuh-rahl, -ral, -rah-lee, pah-stuh-, pahs-taw-rah-le] / ˌpæs təˈrɑl, -ˈræl, -ˈrɑ li, ˌpɑ stə-, ˌpɑs tɔˈrɑ lɛ /

noun

Music.

plural

pastorales, pastorali

  1. an opera, cantata, or the like, with a pastoral subject.

  2. a piece of music suggestive of pastoral life.

pastorale British  
/ ˌpæstəˈrɑːl /

noun

  1. a composition evocative of rural life, characterized by moderate compound duple or quadruple time and sometimes a droning accompaniment

  2. a musical play based on a rustic story, popular during the 16th century

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of pastorale

1715–25; < Italian, noun use of pastorale pastoral

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.