cothurnus

[ koh-thur-nuhs ]

/ koʊˈθɜr nəs /

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noun, plural co·thur·ni

[koh-thur-nahy]. /koʊˈθɜr naɪ/.

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

buskin (def. 2).

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Also co·thurn

[koh-thurn, koh-thurn]. /ˈkoʊ θɜrn, koʊˈθɜrn/.

Origin of cothurnus

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

OTHER WORDS FROM cothurnus

co·thur·nal, adjective

Words nearby cothurnus

Côtes-d'Armor, Côtes-du-Nord, Côte-St.-Luc, coth, cothamore, cothurnus, cotidal, cotillion, cotillon, cotinga, Cotman

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cothurnus in a sentence

Talma moved the people to enthusiasm when he played the “Horatii” of Corneille in the classic cothurnus.
The History of Modern Painting, Volume 1 (of 4)|Richard Muther
They never speak except ore rotundo, in cothurnus, or sometimes on stilts.
Amiel's Journal|Henri-Frdric Amiel
His is a muse which never lays aside the cothurnus, and a royalty which never puts off its crown, even in sleep.
Amiel's Journal|Henri-Frdric Amiel
Cothurnus occupies a chair upon a platform, up-stage, centre, with two or three steps surrounding it on three sides.
Aria da Capo|Edna St. Vincent Millay

The Jack Pudding suddenly drew the cothurnus over his clogs.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 13, No. 80, June, 1864|Various

British Dictionary definitions for cothurnus

cothurnus

cothurn (ˈkəʊθɜːn, kəʊˈθɜːn)

/ (kəʊˈθɜːnəs) /

noun plural -thurni (-ˈθɜːnaɪ) or -thurns

the buskin worn in ancient Greek tragedy

Word Origin for cothurnus

C18: from Latin, from Greek kothornos

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