the.com/sketch comedy

means A comedy format built from short, self-contained scenes, each centered on a single silly premise, character, or joke rather than an ongoing plot.

from "Sketch" entered English from Dutch schets and Italian schizzo, both pointing back to Latin schedius, "off-hand, extempore," rooted in Greek skhedios — made quickly, without preparation. Artists first used it for a rough, rapid drawing dashed off before the finished work; by the 1700s-1800s the word stretched to cover brief, loosely-sketched pieces of writing or performance. "Sketch comedy" as a named genre is a 20th-century label, but it keeps the original spirit intact — a quick, unfinished-looking little piece, over before it's fully drawn out.