aria

[ahr-ee-uh, air-ee-uh] /ˈɑr i ə, ˈɛər i ə/
noun
1.
an air or melody.
2.
an elaborate melody sung solo with accompaniment, as in an opera or oratorio.
Origin
1735-45; < Italian; see air1
Can be confused
area, aria.

Aria

[ahr-ee-uh, uh-rahy-uh] /ˈɑr i ə, əˈraɪ ə/
noun, Classical Mythology
1.
a nymph, the mother of Miletus, by Apollo.
Examples from the web for arias
  • Yet whereas males can master the avian arias without any tutoring, females cannot.
  • Its pure coloratura sparkled through her early arias, drawing bursts of applause.
  • Though he failed to find it, he did come upon a compilation in which she sang some of the same arias.
  • The public expected structured set pieces, with arias, ensembles and choruses.
British Dictionary definitions for arias

aria

/ˈɑːrɪə/
noun
1.
an elaborate accompanied song for solo voice from a cantata, opera, or oratorio See also da capo
Word Origin
C18: from Italian: tune, air
Word Origin and History for arias

aria

n.

from Italian aria, literally "air" (see air (n.1)).

arias in Culture
aria [(ahr-ee-uh)]

A piece of music for one voice (or occasionally two voices) in an opera, oratorio, or cantata. In contrast with recitative singing, arias are melodious; in contrast with ordinary songs, arias are usually elaborate.

Note: Some composers, such as Richard Wagner, have felt that arias interrupt the action of opera too much and hence have written operas without them.
Related Abbreviations for arias

ARIA

advanced range instrumented aircraft