parabasis

[ puh-rab-uh-sis ]

/ pəˈræb ə sɪs /

noun, plural pa·rab·a·ses [puh-rab-uh-seez] /pəˈræb əˌsiz/.

(in ancient Greek drama) a choral ode addressed to the audience, especially of comedy, and independent of the action of the play: usually following the agon and, in the earliest forms of comedy, serving often to end the play.

Nearby words

para-thor-mone, para-toluidine, para., paraballism, parabasal body, parabasis, parabellum, paraben, parabiosis, parablast, parable

Origin of parabasis

1810–20; < Greek parábasis a going aside, digression; see para-¹, basis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for parabasis

They were also remarkable for the absence of the parabasis and chorus.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 6|Various
Parabasis, pa-rab′a-sis, n. the chief of the choral parts in ancient Greek comedy, usually an address from the poet to the public.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R)|Various
In the comedies, like the masques in other days, sarcastic remarks on the government came to be made; this was the Parabasis.
History Of Ancient Civilization|Charles Seignobos

British Dictionary definitions for parabasis

parabasis

/ (pəˈræbəsɪs) /

noun plural -ses (-ˌsiːz)

(in classical Greek comedy) an address from the chorus to the audience

Word Origin for parabasis

C19: from Greek, from parabanein to step forward

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