Definition of "soubrette" []

• A saucy, coquettish, intriguing maidservant in comedies or comic opera. (noun)
• An actress or a singer taking such a part. (noun)
• A young woman regarded as flirtatious or frivolous. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "In classical music and opera, the term soubrette refers to both a soprano voice type and a particular type of opera role."
• "In theatre, the term soubrette describes a comedy character who is vain and girlish, mischievous, lighthearted, coquettish and gossipy--often a chambermaid or confidante of the ingenue, she often displays a flirtatious or even sexually aggressive nature."
• "A moment later, a waiting-woman, of middle age, and too well trained to dress like a "soubrette" of comedy, opened the door to him."