cabaret
/ˈkabəreɪ
/ /ˌkabəˈreɪ/noun [mass noun]
1Entertainment held in a nightclub or restaurant while the audience eat or drink at tables: she was seen recently in cabaret [as modifier]: a cabaret act [count noun]: the cabaret drew to a close...
- The audience is invited to be part of the Cabaret with special on stage seating at cabaret tables.
- Comedy and cabaret also attract large audiences and appear to have a large talent pool.
- The humour which made him a firm favourite with lounge and cabaret audiences never deserted him throughout his illness.
Synonyms
entertainment, show, floor show, performance
1.1 [count noun] A nightclub or restaurant where cabaret is performed: the dance halls and cabarets of Montmartre...
- Now it offers a plethora of bars, restaurants, cabarets, clubs and sports grounds.
- After all, what does a mall consist of other than restaurants, discos, cabarets?
- The law which came into force on June 24 is seeing owners of not just cabarets but also lounge bars, restaurants and discotheques struggling to meet stringent licensing conditions.
Synonyms
nightclub, club, boîte, supper club;
North American cafe
informal nightspot, hot spot, niterie, clip joint
British informal, dated drum
North American informal honky-tonk
Origin
Mid 17th century (denoting a French inn): from Old French, literally 'wooden structure', via Middle Dutch from Old Picard camberet 'little room'. Current senses date from the early 20th century.
Samuel Pepys wrote in his diary, ‘In most cabaretts in France they have writ upon the walls “Dieu te regarde” [‘God is watching you’], as a good lesson to be in every man's mind’. He was referring to French inns, which is what the word cabaret meant in the 17th century. The modern sense of an entertainment in a nightclub dates from before the First World War. Cabaret is from the Old French for ‘shed’.