serenade
- A piece of music sung or played outdoors at night, especially by a lover beneath a beloved's window.
- As a verb, to perform such music for someone.
In a sentence
- He stood beneath her balcony and serenaded her with a guitar and a nervously sung love song.
- The string quartet performed a Schubert serenade as guests arrived for the garden reception.
Usage note. A serenade is traditionally an evening or nighttime performance, while an aubade is a song of parting at dawn; the two are often considered complementary opposites in romantic musical tradition.
Where it comes from
English serenade — “nocturnal romantic song” · entered English 17th c.
From French 'sérénade', which came from Italian 'serenata', derived from 'sereno' meaning 'clear' or 'serene' (referring to open-air, clear-night performance), from Latin 'serenus' meaning 'clear, calm, serene'. Some scholars note possible influence from Italian 'sera' (evening), reinforcing the nocturnal association. The word entered English in the 17th century.