prothalamion

[ proh-thuh-ley-mee-on, -uhn ]

noun,plural pro·tha·la·mi·a

[proh-thuh-ley-mee-uh]. /ˌproʊ θəˈleɪ mi ə/.

a song or poem written to celebrate a marriage.

Origin of prothalamion

Coined by Edmund Spenser in 1597; pro-² + (epi)thalamion;

Words Nearby prothalamion

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use prothalamion in a sentence

It is a bridal ode (prothalamion), to celebrate the marriage of two daughters of the Earl of Worcester, written late in 1596.
Spenser | R. W. Church
Among the minor poems of Spenser the most delightful were his prothalamion and Epithalamion.
From Chaucer to Tennyson | Henry A. Beers
The prothalamion contains a final record of his disappointments in England.
Spenser | R. W. Church

British Dictionary definitions for prothalamion

prothalamion

prothalamium

/ (ˌprəʊθəˈleɪmɪən) /

nounplural -mia (-mɪə)

a song or poem in celebration of a marriage

Origin of prothalamion

C16: from Greek pro- before + thalamos marriage; coined by Edmund Spenser, on the model of epithalamion

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

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