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dithyramb
5 dictionary results for: Dithyramb
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
dith·y·ramb       [dith-uh-ram, -ramb] Pronunciation Key
–noun
1.a Greek choral song or chant of vehement or wild character and of usually irregular form, originally in honor of Dionysus or Bacchus.
2.any poem or other composition having similar characteristics, as an impassioned or exalted theme or irregular form.
3.any wildly enthusiastic speech or writing.
[Origin: 1595–1605; < L dīthyrambus < Gk dīthýrambos]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
dith·y·ramb       (dĭth'ĭ-rām', -rāmb')  Pronunciation Key 
n.  
  1. A frenzied, impassioned choric hymn and dance of ancient Greece in honor of Dionysus.
  2. An irregular poetic expression suggestive of the ancient Greek dithyramb.
  3. A wildly enthusiastic speech or piece of writing.


[Latin dīthyrambus, from Greek dīthurambos.]

dith'y·ramb'ic adj.
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
dithyramb 
1603, from L. dithyrambus, from Gk. dithyrambos, of unknown origin, perhaps a pre-Hellenic loan-word. A wild choric hymn, originally in honor of Dionysus.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
dithyramb

noun
1. a wildly enthusiastic speech or piece of writing 
2. (ancient Greece) a passionate hymn (usually in honor of Dionysus) 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Dithyramb

Dith"y*ramb\, n. [L. dithyrambus, Gr. ? a kind of lyric poetry in honor of Bacchus; also, a name of Bacchus; of unknown origin: cf. F. dithyrambe.] A kind of lyric poetry in honor of Bacchus, usually sung by a band of revelers to a flute accompaniment; hence, in general, a poem written in a wild irregular strain. --Bentley.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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