soubrette
PRONUNCIATION:
(soo-BRET) 
MEANING:
noun:1. A maidservant or lady's maid in a play or an opera, especially one who displays coquetry and engages in intrigue.
2. A young woman regarded as flirtatious.
3. A soprano who sings supporting roles in comic opera.
ETYMOLOGY:
From French soubrette (maidservant), from Provençal soubreto, feminine of soubret (coy), from soubra (to set aside), from Latin superare (to be above). Ultimately from the Indo-European root uper (over) which is also the source of over, sovereign, super, supreme, sirloin, soprano, somersault, and hyper. Earliest documented use: 1753. USAGE:
"Paloma Herrera played the soubrette who lures the hero from his longtime girlfriend, abandoning her own fiancé in the process."Elizabeth Zimmer; Stars in Alignment; The Australian (Sydney); Aug 1, 2009.
"Rebecca Bottone's light soubrette contrasts well with Watts's more voluptuous timbre."
Hugh Canning; Catch Her If You Can; The Sunday Times (London, UK); Nov 8, 2009.
Explore "soubrette" in the Visual Thesaurus.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
The root of all superstition is that men observe when a thing hits, but not when it misses. -Francis Bacon, essayist, philosopher, and statesman (1561-1626)
