cothurnus

American  

[koh-thur-nuhs] / koʊˈθɜr nəs /

Also cothurn

noun

plural

cothurni

1. a grave and elevated style of acting; tragic acting; tragedy.

2. buskin.

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cothurnus British  

/ kəʊˈθɜːnəs, ˈkəʊθɜːn, kəʊˈθɜːn /

noun

1. the buskin worn in ancient Greek tragedy

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Other Word Forms

• cothurnal
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of cothurnus

1720–30; < Latin < Greek kóthornos buskin, type of boot worn by tragic actors in heroic roles

Example Sentences

In toga and cothurnus I had to read a pompous prologue, and did it amid shouts of "Basta! basta!" from the audience.

From The Fool Errant Being the Memoirs of Francis-Anthony Strelley, Esq., Citizen of Lucca by Hewlett, Maurice Henry

Some of the quiet characters away from the centre of great affairs are as well worth our attention as those who in high-heeled cothurnus stalk across the foreground.

From Critical Miscellanies (Vol. 3 of 3) Essay 7: W.R. Greg: A Sketch by Morley, John

He wore breeches or drawers reaching to the knees, and his feet and the lower part of the leg were covered with the cothurnus, a sort of traveller's half-boot.

From Traditions of Lancashire, Volume 2 by Roby, John

The actor on the stage is admired whilst he is elevated by the cothurnus; but young men are not to exhibit their oratorical talents always with the advantages of stage effect and decorations.

From Practical Education, Volume II by Edgeworth, Maria

Like the Greek actor before masks were invented, the Chinese actor paints his face, and the thick-soled boot which raises the Chinese tragedian from the ground is very much the counterpart of the cothurnus.

From China and the Chinese by Giles, Herbert Allen