impresario

noun

im·​pre·​sa·​rio ˌim-prə-ˈsär-ē-ˌō How to pronounce impresario (audio)
-ˈser-,
-ˈzär-
plural impresarios
1
: the promoter, manager, or conductor of an opera or concert company
2
: a person who puts on or sponsors an entertainment (such as a television show or sports event)
3

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English borrowed impresario directly from Italian, whose noun impresa means "undertaking." A close relative is the English word emprise ("an adventurous, daring, or chivalric enterprise"), which, like impresario, traces back to the Latin verb prehendere, meaning "to seize." (That verb is also the source of apprehend, comprehend, and prehensile.) English speakers were impressed enough with impresario to borrow it in the 1700s, at first using it, as the Italians did, especially of opera company managers. It should be noted that, despite their apparent similarities, impress and impresario are not related. Impress is a descendant of the Latin pressare, a form of the verb premere, which means "to press."

Examples of impresario in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In those videos, an evil impresario kidnaps and brainwashes an extra-terrestrial rock group, transforms them into prefabricated pop stars, brings them back to Earth and manipulates them to the top of the charts. Katie Bain, Billboard, 22 Feb. 2024 Randy Sparks, a creative impresario whose musical ensemble, the New Christy Minstrels, helped to jump-start the folk revival of the early 1960s and launched the careers of performers like John Denver, Steve Martin and Kenny Rogers, died on Sunday at an assisted-living facility in San Diego. Clay Risen, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2024 Tiffany also counted among his friends the impresario P.T. Barnum, whose knack for creating sensation had rubbed off on him. Robert Klara, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Feb. 2024 Courtesy of Lorenzo Sisti/Neon Midway through Ferrari, the iconic Italian motor-racing impresario sits at a table with his adolescent son, born of his mistress. John Semley, WIRED, 22 Dec. 2023 Norman Lear, the influential television impresario who dominated the American prime-time comedy lineup in the 1970s and smashed barriers with topical sitcoms that wrung humor out of the country’s fierce culture wars, has died, his family said Wednesday. Daniel Arkin, NBC News, 6 Dec. 2023 The family had recently settled in Newport News, Virginia, when rock ‘n’ roll impresario Don Kirshner sent a talent scout to check out the budding brother act around 1973. Andrew Gilbert, The Mercury News, 18 Jan. 2024 To the street-art impresario Steve Lazarides, Invader is a purist in a milieu awash in easy money and obvious gags. Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2023 While Webber didn't specify when the poltergeist appeared in his home, the revelation comes after a busy time for the impresario, whose Phantom of the Opera musical took its final bow in April 2023 after 35 years on Broadway. Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 5 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'impresario.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Italian, from impresa undertaking, from imprendere to undertake, from Vulgar Latin *imprehendere — more at emprise

First Known Use

1746, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of impresario was in 1746

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Cite this Entry

“Impresario.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impresario. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

impresario

noun
im·​pre·​sa·​rio ˌim-prə-ˈsär-ē-ˌō How to pronounce impresario (audio)
-ˈsar-,
-ˈzär-
plural impresarios
: a person who puts on an entertainment (as a concert)

More from Merriam-Webster on impresario

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