Pastorela

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A traditional Mexican theater performance that chronicles the journeys of shepherds and shepherdesses on the way to visit the newborn Jesus, typically performed during Advent.
  2. 2
    A type of Occitan lyric poetry in which a knight meets a shepherdess. historical
  3. 3
    A type of Occitan lyric poetry in which a knight meets a shepherdess.; A work of such poetry. historical

Synonyms

All synonyms
balladbucolicdirgeelegyepicepigram

Etymology

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Spanish pastorela, from French pastourelle.

Etymology 2

Learned borrowing from Old Occitan pastorela (“little shepherdess”), from pastor (“shepherd”) + -ela (feminine diminutive suffix). Compare etymology 1.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.