Conservatoire

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /kənˈsɝvətwɑr/

Definitions

1. A school or institution specializing in the training of musicians, dancers, or other performing artists
2. An educational institution designed specifically for the training and development of students in music, dance, and other performing arts
3. A specialized school focused on teaching music, dance, and performance skills

Etymology: The Italian city of Naples gave this word its deeper roots. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Neapolitan charitable institutions took in orphans and poor children and trained them in music, and these establishments were called "conservatorio," a term tied to the idea of keeping or preserving children under care. The name stuck to places of musical training, and from there it passed into French as "conservatoire." English borrowed the French form directly, so "conservatoire" and its doublet "conservatory" arrived as two versions of the same word. Both have the same origin, but the French-derived spelling has kept a distinct place for institutions devoted to the arts, especially music, while "conservatory" is the more general English form.

Synonyms: music school, academy of music, conservatory, art school, school of music