Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - comedy

 noun  (plural -dies)  Etymology: Middle English, from Medieval Latin comoedia, from Latin, drama with a happy ending, from Greek komoidia, from komos revel + aeidein to sing — more at ode  Date: 14th century  1.  a. a medieval narrative that ends happily Dante's Divine Comedy  b. a literary work written in a comic style or treating a comic theme  2.  a. a drama of light and amusing character and typically with a happy ending  b. the genre of dramatic literature dealing with the comic or with the serious in a light or satirical manner — compare tragedy  3. a ludicrous or farcical event or series of events a ~ of errors  4.  a. the comic element the ~ of many life situations  b. humorous entertainment nightclub ~