This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
stichomythia
[ stik-uh-mith-ee-uh ]
/ ˌstɪk əˈmɪθ i ə /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun
dramatic dialogue, as in a Greek play, characterized by brief exchanges between two characters, each of whom usually speaks in one line of verse during a scene of intense emotion or strong argumentation.
QUIZ
WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?
Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!
Question 1 of 7
Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.
Also sti·chom·y·thy [sti-kom-uh-thee]. /stɪˈkɒm ə θi/.
Origin of stichomythia
OTHER WORDS FROM stichomythia
stich·o·myth·ic, adjectiveWords nearby stichomythia
stibnite, stich, sticharion, stichic, stichometry, stichomythia, -stichous, stick, stick around, stick at, stick-at-it-ive
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use stichomythia in a sentence
The dreary tirades of Polyphontes and Merope, and their snip-snap stichomythia, read equally ill in English.
Matthew Arnold|George SaintsburyPhillis and Amyntas reappear and carry on a conversation, not unamiably, in a sort of hexametrical stichomythia.
Pastoral Poetry and Pastoral Drama|Walter W. Greg
British Dictionary definitions for stichomythia
stichomythia
stichomythy (stɪˈkɒmɪθɪ)
/ (ˌstɪkəʊˈmɪθɪə) /
noun
a form of dialogue originating in Greek drama in which single lines are uttered by alternate speakers
Derived forms of stichomythia
stichomythic, adjectiveWord Origin for stichomythia
C19: from Greek stikhomuthein to speak alternate lines, from stikhos line + muthos speech; see myth
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