# Origination of the term "vaudeville"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origination-of-the-term-vaudeville/4251>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 21, 1999, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origination-of-the-term-vaudeville/4251 "1999-10-21T20:13:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![occ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8c91f0/32.png) [@occ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/occ)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 1999, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origination-of-the-term-vaudeville/4251/1 "1999-10-21T20:13:00Z")

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I don’t know if this has been covered before in the MB’s, but I don’t see it in the SD archives anywhere. What exactly is the origination of the term “vaudeville”? Was it named after an actual place, or is the “ville” suffix unrelated?

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**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 1999, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origination-of-the-term-vaudeville/4251/2 "1999-10-21T20:22:00Z")

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From _The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition_ copyright © 1992 by Houghton Mifflin Company:

> [@](#):
>
> French, alteration of Old French _vaudevire_, occasional or topical light popular song, possibly short for _chanson du Vau de Vire_, song of _Vau de Vire_, a valley of northwest France and or perhaps : dialectal _vauder_, to go + _virer_, to turn

Take yer pick.

-andros-

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**Author:** ![krish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c57346/32.png) [@krish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/krish)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 1999, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origination-of-the-term-vaudeville/4251/3 "1999-10-21T20:22:00Z")

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A little advice: use a search engine.

Search engines have proved useful tools. Whereas, the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than the following site. I will despense this advice now.

[Source](http://kids.infoplease.com/ce5/CE053874.html):

> [@](#):
>
> originally a light song, derived from the drinking and love songs formerly attributed to Olivier Basselin and called _Vau_, or _Vaux, de Vire_.

But trust me on the search engine. 😉

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 1999, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origination-of-the-term-vaudeville/4251/4 "1999-10-21T20:23:00Z")

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I thought it was named after the prominent “Hotel Vaudeville” located in the “Borscht Belt.”

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 1999, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origination-of-the-term-vaudeville/4251/5 "1999-10-22T01:27:00Z")

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I’m curious about the origin of the word _origination_.

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**Author:** ![Beruang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/77aa72/32.png) [@Beruang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beruang)\
**Post date:** [October 27, 1999, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origination-of-the-term-vaudeville/4251/6 "1999-10-27T18:13:00Z")

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The Random House Word of the Day for October 27, 1999 gives a very full explanation.  
[http://www.randomhouse.com/jesse/](http://www.randomhouse.com/jesse/)