dithyramb
Americannoun
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a Greek choral song or chant of vehement or wild character and of usually irregular form, originally in honor of Dionysus or Bacchus.
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any poem or other composition having similar characteristics, as an impassioned or exalted theme or irregular form.
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any wildly enthusiastic speech or writing.
noun
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(in ancient Greece) a passionate choral hymn in honour of Dionysus; the forerunner of Greek drama
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any utterance or a piece of writing that resembles this
Etymology
Origin of dithyramb
1595–1605; < Latin dīthyrambus < Greek dīthýrambos
Explanation
A dithyramb is a speech or piece of writing that bursts with enthusiasm. A dithyramb is full of passion and purpose, so save it for a special occasion. The next time you hear a wildly enthusiastic speech, pull this word out of your hat to describe it. The Greek original was the name for a passionate choral hymn, typically to Dionysus. Since then, dithyramb came to mean a poem with similar passion, and then any type of writing or speech that bursts with enthusiasm. A love letter could be called a dithyramb. A powerful speech on behalf of justice could be called a dithyramb. Dithyrambs are passionate.
Vocabulary lists containing dithyramb
Ancient Greece: Mythology and Literature - High School
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The Tragic Vision: Affirmation Through Loss
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The Dramatic Vision: An Overview, Part 2
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The ensemble’s rich resonance, combined with the variety of pitches and shifting dynamics, evokes a kaleidoscopic dithyramb of rare power.
From Washington Post • Apr. 14, 2016
For the next 20 minutes Teddy repeated his familiar dithyramb to the Kennedys' longtime political handyman.
From Time Magazine Archive
His is a poet’s prose, given to dithyramb, and it can’t be hurried along.
From Washington Post
The song is usually an apostrophe to hamburger or a dithyramb dedicated to cola, uncola or the beverage the citizens are forbidden to quaff on-camera: beer.
From Time Magazine Archive
Why had it power to change the old, stiff, ritual dithyramb into the new and living drama?
From Ancient Art and Ritual by Harrison, Jane Ellen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
