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stichomythia
[ stik-uh-mith-ee-uh ]
/ ˌstɪk əˈmɪθ i ə /
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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.
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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. 2021
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
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