stichomythia

[ stik-uh-mith-ee-uh ]

noun

1. 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.

stichomythia

/ stɪˈkɒmɪθɪ; ˌstɪkəʊˈmɪθɪə /

noun

1. a form of dialogue originating in Greek drama in which single lines are uttered by alternate speakers

Derived Forms

• ˌstichoˈmythic, adjective

Other Words From

• sticho·mythic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stichomythia¹

1860–65; < Greek stichomȳthía, equivalent to stícho ( s ) ( stich ¹ ) + -mȳthia ( mŷth ( os ) speech, story + -ia -ia )

Word History and Origins

Origin of stichomythia¹

C19: from Greek stikhomuthein to speak alternate lines, from stikhos line + muthos speech; see myth

Example Sentences

The dreary tirades of Polyphontes and Merope, and their snip-snap stichomythia, read equally ill in English.

From Project Gutenberg

Phillis and Amyntas reappear and carry on a conversation, not unamiably, in a sort of hexametrical stichomythia.

From Project Gutenberg