/ ˌserəˈneɪd; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
a song or tune played or sung at night by a lover outside the window of the woman he loves
2.
a gentle piece of music in several parts, usually for a small group of instruments
■ verb
[ vn ] to sing or play music to sb (as done in the past by a man singing under her window to the woman he loved)
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 17th cent.: from French sérénade , from Italian serenata , from sereno serene.