stichomythia
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- Also sti·chom·y·thy [sti-kom-uh-thee]. /stɪˈkɒm ə θi/.
Other words from stichomythia
- stich·o·myth·ic, adjective
Words Nearby stichomythia
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
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 SaintsburyPhillis and Amyntas reappear and carry on a conversation, not unamiably, in a sort of hexametrical stichomythia.
Pastoral Poetry and Pastoral Drama | Walter W. Greg
British Dictionary definitions for stichomythia
stichomythy (stɪˈkɒmɪθɪ)
/ (ˌstɪkəʊˈmɪθɪə) /
a form of dialogue originating in Greek drama in which single lines are uttered by alternate speakers
Origin of stichomythia
1Derived forms of stichomythia
- stichomythic, adjective
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
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