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Ossianic

American  
[os-ee-an-ik, osh-ee-] / ˌɒs iˈæn ɪk, ˌɒʃ i- /

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Ossian, the poetry attributed to him, or the rhythmic prose published by James Macpherson in 1762–63, purporting to be a translation from the Scottish Gaelic.

  2. grandiloquent; bombastic.


Ossianic British  
/ ˌɒsɪˈænɪk /

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or reminiscent of Ossian, a legendary Irish hero and bard of the 3rd century a.d

"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

Etymology

Origin of Ossianic

First recorded in 1800–10; Ossian + -ic

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.

See Examples For:

Martin painted such republican effusions as The Bard, 1817, an Ossianic Welsh sage ranting from a cliff at English legions passing in the gorge below, prophesying the death of empire.

From Time Magazine Archive

So ripe were the times for the Ossianic poems that if they had not existed, someone would have had to invent them.

From Time Magazine Archive

The Ossianic tales are, at their best, “Lovely apparitions, sent To be a moment's ornament.”

From Myths & Legends of the Celtic Race by Rolleston, T. W. (Thomas William)

Yet in the Irish romances, whether Ultonian or Ossianic, the element which has since been considered the most essential motive in a romantic tale is almost entirely lacking.

From Myths & Legends of the Celtic Race by Rolleston, T. W. (Thomas William)

So far as Arthur himself is concerned these parallels are with the Fenian, or Ossianic, cycle, in the case of Gawain with the Ultonian.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 6 "Armour Plates" to "Arundel, Earls of" by Various

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