Etymology: < (i) Anglo-Norman and Middle French comedie, Middle French commedie, commedye (French comédie ) satirical poem (c1370), drama, especially one with a happy ending (c1370; c1150 in Anglo-Norman in uncertain sense, perhaps ‘the genre of drama or literature which consists of comedies’), and its etymon (ii) classical Latin cōmoedia comic form of drama or literature, comic play < ancient Greek κωμῳδία comic form of drama or literature, comic play, also in figurative use, with reference to real life < κωμῳδός singer in the comic chorus, in Hellenistic Greek also comic actor, comic poet ( < κῶμος revel, merrymaking, band of revellers, ode sung at a festive procession, of uncertain origin + ἀοιδός singer, minstrel < ἀείδειν to sing: see ode n.) + -ία -y suffix³. Compare Catalan comèdia (14th cent.), Spanish comedia (c1280), Portuguese comédia (16th cent.), Italian commedia dramatic work in verse or prose with a happy ending (beginning of the 14th cent. as †comedia ), farcical or funny incident (1553). The Latin noun was also borrowed into other Germanic languages; compare Dutch komedie (1548 as †comedie ), Middle Low German cōmȫdie , commēdie , German Komödie (late 17th cent. as †comœdie , 15th cent. as †comedy and (with Latin inflectional endings) †comedia ), all earliest in sense 2b. Compare tragedy n.In the specific use with reference to Dante's work (see sense 2a) after Italian commedia (beginning of the 14th cent. in La commedia, the original title of Dante's Divine Comedy). Dante called his epic poem La commedia because, although treating a serious subject (the redemption of humanity), it was written in a ‘low’ style and in the vernacular language rather than in an elevated style and in Latin, and because it had a happy ending (with the Beatific Vision in Paradiso, its third part).

Etymology: Probably < post-classical Latin comedia kind of gruel or some kind of accompaniment to bread (1352 in a glossary; compare comedium meal, feast (1279 in a British source)), probably < classical Latin comedere to consume (see comestible adj.) + -ia -y suffix³. Perhaps compare earlier comade n.