Parnassian

[ pahr-nas-ee-uhn ]

adjective
  1. pertaining to Mount Parnassus.

  2. pertaining to poetry.

  1. of, relating to, or noting a school of French poets of the latter half of the 19th century, characterized chiefly by a belief in art for art's sake, by an emphasis on metrical form, and by the repression of emotive elements: so called from Le Parnasse Contemporain, the title of their first collection of poems, published in 1866.

noun
  1. a member of the Parnassian school of French poets.

Origin of Parnassian

1
First recorded in 1560–70; from Latin Parnassi(us) “of Parnassus ” + -an

Other words from Parnassian

  • Par·nas·si·an·ism, Par·nas·sism, noun

Words Nearby Parnassian

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Parnassian in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for Parnassian (1 of 2)

Parnassian1

/ (pɑːˈnæsɪən) /


adjective
  1. of or relating to Mount Parnassus or poetry

British Dictionary definitions for Parnassian (2 of 2)

Parnassian2

/ (pɑːˈnæsɪən) /


noun
  1. one of a school of French poets of the late 19th century who wrote verse that emphasized metrical form and restricted emotion

adjective
  1. of or relating to the Parnassians or their poetry

Origin of Parnassian

2
C19: from French parnassien, from Parnasse Parnassus; from Le Parnasse contemporain, title of an anthology produced by these poets

Derived forms of Parnassian

  • Parnassianism or Parnassism, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012