brava
UK[ˈbrɑːvə]US[ˈbrɑːvə]
interj
A shout of approval, especially to a female performer.
n
A cry of "brava".
Etymology
The word 'brava' entered English directly from Italian in the 19th century as part of the specialized vocabulary of the performing arts. Its Italian root 'bravo' itself has a complex history, likely deriving from Latin 'barbarus' (meaning foreign, savage), which came from Greek 'barbaros' (referring to non-Greek speakers, whose speech sounded like "bar-bar"). Through a semantic evolution in Italian, the meaning shifted from "wild, bold" to "courageous" and finally to "skillful, excellent," a positive assessment of a daring performance. 'Brava' is specifically the feminine form, used to acclaim a female performer, preserving the grammatical gender of its source language even in English usage.
Analysis
The word is a direct loanword from Italian, functioning as a complete unit in English. It is the feminine singular form of the Italian adjective 'bravo' (meaning good, skillful, brave).
Examples
The soprano received shouts of "brava!" after her stunning aria.
A single, loud "brava!" echoed from the balcony at the end of the solo.
The critic wrote that the actress deserved the bravas she received on opening night.