serenade means A love song that is sung directly to one's love interest, especially one performed below the window of a loved one in the evening. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 73 out of 100.
serenade is pronounced /ˌsɛɹəˈneɪd/.
Why “serenade” is a great word
A complimentary musical performance, especially a love song performed outdoors at night for a particular person. Its lineage flows from Latin *serenus* (“clear, calm”) through Italian *serenare* (“to make clear or calm”) and *serenata* (“evening music”), shaped by *sera* (“evening”), reaching English by the mid-17th century. Unlike a *divertimento*, which is mere instrumental diversion, or a *ballad*, which tells a story to an audience, the serenade is a targeted acoustical offering, a ritual of the twilight hour. It is the tentative pluck of a lute-string beneath a shuttered window, the carrying scent of night-blooming jasmine mingling with a carried tune, and the vulnerable silhouette of the singer against the deepening blue—an audible offering left hanging in the darkness, hoping to be answered.
Etymology
Borrowed from French sérénade, from Italian serenata, from the past participle of serenare, from Latin serenare, from serenus (“calm”), of uncertain origin (see there).
noun
- A love song that is sung directly to one's love interest, especially one performed below the window of a loved one in the evening.“From me to thee glad serenades, / Dances for thee I propose saluting thee, adornments and feastings for thee, / And the sights of the open landscape and the high-spread sky are fitting, / And life and the fields, and the huge and thoughtful night.”
- An instrumental composition in several movements.““Eine kleine Nachtmusik” is a well-known serenade written by Mozart.”
verb
- To sing or play a serenade for (someone).“The Southampton striker, who also struck a post late on, was being serenaded by the Wembley crowd before the end and should probably brace himself for some Lambert-mania over the coming days but, amid the eulogies, it should not overlook the deficiencies that were evident in another stodgy England performance.”
- To woo someone.