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ANACREONTIC

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A⋅nac⋅re⋅on⋅tic

[uh-nak-ree-on-tik]
–adjective
1. (sometimes lowercase) of or in the manner of Anacreon.
2. (sometimes lowercase) convivial and amatory.
–noun
3. (lowercase) an Anacreontic poem.

Origin:
1650–60; < L Anacreōnticus, equiv. to Anacreōnt- (< Gk Anakreōnt-, s. of Anakréōn) Anacreon + -icus -ic


A⋅nac⋅re⋅on⋅ti⋅cal⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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A·nac·re·on·tic   (ə-nāk'rē-ŏn'tĭk)   
adj.  Of or in the manner of the poems of Anacreon, especially being convivial or amatory in subject.
n.  A poem written in the style of Anacreon.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

Anacreontic 
of or in the manner of Anacreon, "convivial bard of Greece," the celebrated Gk. lyrical poet, born at Teos in Ionia (560-478 B.C.E.). In ref. to his lyric form (1706) of a four-line stanza, rhymed alternately, each line with four beats (three trochees and a long syllable), also "convivial and amatory" (1801); and "an erotic poem celebrating love and wine" (c.1656). Francis Scott Key in 1814 set or wrote his poem "The Star-Spangled Banner" to the melody of "To Anacreon in Heav'n," the drinking song of the popular London gentleman's club called The Anacreontic Society, whose membership was dedicated to "wit, harmony, and the god of wine."
To Anacreon in Heav'n, where he sat in full glee,
A few Sons of Harmony sent a petition;
That he their Inspirer and Patron wou'd be;
When this answer arrived from the Jolly Old Grecian;
"Voice, Fiddle, and Flute,
No longer be mute,
I'll lend you my name and inspire you to boot,
And besides I'll instruct you like me, to intwine,
The Myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's Vine."
The tune is late 18c. and may be the work of society member and court musician John Stafford Smith (1750-1836).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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