Larp

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A type of performance art where individuals embody characters and act out scenarios in a designed environment
2. A participatory game format in which people create and perform narratives by taking on roles and interacting physically
3. A form of interactive storytelling that involves participants assuming fictional identities and improvising scenarios in real-world settings

Etymology: LARP is an acronym, and its story is built from older English words rather than borrowed from another language. It stands for "live-action roleplay" (or "live-action roleplaying"), where "live" carries its ordinary sense of being real and in person, as opposed to filmed or drawn. "Role" comes through French from Latin, originally meaning a roll of parchment, since actors' parts were written on rolls. "Play" descends from Old English "plegian," meaning to exercise or engage in sport, and it is the same "play" that gives us playing in any game. The three pieces combined into "roleplay," a term for acting out a character, and the live-action version took the word "live" from "alive," which itself comes from the Old English "on līfe," meaning "in life."