Parnassian
Americanadjective
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pertaining to Mount Parnassus.
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pertaining to poetry.
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of, relating to, or noting a school of French poets of the latter half of the 19th century, characterized chiefly by a belief in art for art's sake, by an emphasis on metrical form, and by the repression of emotive elements: so called from Le Parnasse Contemporain, the title of their first collection of poems, published in 1866.
noun
noun
adjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of Parnassian
First recorded in 1560–70; from Latin Parnassi(us) “of Parnassus ” + -an
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.
So, I got “I Am Charlotte Simmons” from the library, expecting Parnassian enlightenment about the four years ahead.
From Washington Post ● May 2, 2019
His granular, giddy analysis of Scottish bard William Topaz McGonagall, “widely acclaimed as the worst poet in history,” fascinates as the negative expression of a Parnassian ideal.
From Slate ● Jul. 8, 2016
Particularly jarring is a passage from “Funeral Toast,” in which Mallarmé celebrates his Parnassian predecessor Théophile Gautier:
From The New Yorker ● Apr. 11, 2016
Here, as in all renditions of the story, Rimbaud, the brilliant, sneering student from Ardennes hits Paris and turns things topsy-turvy among the Parnassian poets of the time.
From New York Times ● Aug. 23, 2011
I was delighted to observe that the comely young lady of such exquisite voice I had seen previously was returned, this maiden attended like one of the Parnassian sisters by a company of other songstresses.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
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.
