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dithyramb

[ dith-uh-ram, -ramb ]
/ ˈdɪθ əˌræm, -ˌræmb /

noun

a Greek choral song or chant of vehement or wild character and of usually irregular form, originally in honor of Dionysus or Bacchus.
any poem or other composition having similar characteristics, as an impassioned or exalted theme or irregular form.
any wildly enthusiastic speech or writing.

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Origin of dithyramb

1595–1605; <Latin dīthyrambus<Greek dīthýrambos

Words nearby dithyramb

dithionate, dithionic, dithionic acid, dithionite, dithionous acid, dithyramb, dithyrambic, Ditmars, ditokous, ditransitive, ditriglyph
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for dithyramb

British Dictionary definitions for dithyramb

dithyramb
/ (ˈdɪθɪˌræm, -ˌræmb) /

noun

(in ancient Greece) a passionate choral hymn in honour of Dionysus; the forerunner of Greek drama
any utterance or a piece of writing that resembles this

Word Origin for dithyramb

C17: from Latin dīthyrambus, from Greek dithurambos; related to iambos iamb
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