stichomythia

[ stik-uh-mith-ee-uh ]

noun
  1. dramatic dialogue, as in a Greek play, characterized by brief exchanges between two characters, each of whom usually speaks in one line of verse during a scene of intense emotion or strong argumentation.

Origin of stichomythia

1
1860–65; <Greek stichomȳthía, equivalent to stícho(s) (see stich1) + -mȳthia (mŷth(os) speech, story + -ia-ia)
  • Also sti·chom·y·thy [sti-kom-uh-thee]. /stɪˈkɒm ə θi/.

Other words from stichomythia

  • stich·o·myth·ic, adjective

Words Nearby stichomythia

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How to use stichomythia in a sentence

  • The dreary tirades of Polyphontes and Merope, and their snip-snap stichomythia, read equally ill in English.

    Matthew Arnold | George Saintsbury
  • Phillis and Amyntas reappear and carry on a conversation, not unamiably, in a sort of hexametrical stichomythia.

British Dictionary definitions for stichomythia

stichomythia

stichomythy (stɪˈkɒmɪθɪ)

/ (ˌstɪkəʊˈmɪθɪə) /


noun
  1. a form of dialogue originating in Greek drama in which single lines are uttered by alternate speakers

Origin of stichomythia

1
C19: from Greek stikhomuthein to speak alternate lines, from stikhos line + muthos speech; see myth

Derived forms of stichomythia

  • stichomythic, adjective

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