Kabuki 歌舞伎 comes from the verb 'kabuku', meaning 'to deviate from the normal manners and customs, to do something absurd.' Today kabuki is performed only by men, but the first kabuki performance was given in about 1603 by a girl, a shrine maiden of Kyoto named O-kuni, who 'deviated from the normal customs' by dressing as a man and entertaining the public with satirical dances in the grounds of the Kitano shrine. [Toshie M. Evans, "A Dictionary of Japanese Loanwords," 1997]

歌 song, sing

舞 dance, flit, circle, wheel

伎 deed, skill ... or ... 妓 stretch, singing girl, geisha, prostitute

能楽 [のうがく] nōgaku

from

能 ability, talent, skill, capacity

楽 music, comfort, ease