Subscriber login


Forgot your password?

Library card login

Other

kabuki

Pronunciation: /kəˈbuːki/

Definition of kabuki

noun

[mass noun]
  • a form of traditional Japanese drama with highly stylized song, mime, and dance, now performed only by male actors, using exaggerated gestures and body movements to express emotions, and including historical plays, domestic dramas, and dance pieces.

Origin:

Japanese, originally as a verb meaning 'act dissolutely', later interpreted as if from ka 'song' + bu 'dance' + ki 'art'

kabuki in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of kabuki in the US English dictionary