vau ‧ de ‧ ville /ˈvɔːdəvɪl $ ˈvɒː-/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable] American English
[ Date: 1700-1800 ; Language: French ; Origin: Old French vaudevire type of popular song, from vau-de-Vire 'valley of Vire' , town in northwest France where such songs were written ]
a type of theatre entertainment, popular from the 1880s to the 1950s, in which there were many short performances of different kinds, including singing, dancing, jokes etc ⇨ music hall