libretto

Where does the word "libretto" come from? It comes from Italian libretto, and was adopted directly into English (1730s).

Libretto’s story begins in Italian: libretto meant “a little book.” Literally a little book, from libro (book), the text of an opera. It reached English by 1730s as libretto. Italian 'little book'; Lorenzo Da Ponte wrote the libretti for Mozart's 'Don Giovanni'. Today, libretto means the text of an opera or other extended musical work.

1. Stage 1 · Italian · 1700s libretto "a little book", literally a little book, from libro (book), the text of an opera.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1730s libretto "the text of an opera or musical", Italian 'little book'; Lorenzo Da Ponte wrote the libretti for Mozart's 'Don Giovanni'.