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a·ri·a

(ärē-ə)

1. A solo vocal piece with instrumental accompaniment, as in an opera.

2. An air; a melody.

[Italian aria, air, aria, from Latin āera, accusative of āēr, air, from Greek āēr; see wer-¹ in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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