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tragedy

 [traj-i-dee]   Origin

trag·e·dy

   [traj-i-dee]
noun, plural -dies.
1.
a dramatic composition, often in verse, dealing with a serious or somber theme, typically that of a great person destined through a flaw of character or conflict with some overpowering force, as fate or society, to downfall or destruction.
2.
the branch of the drama that is concerned with this form of composition.
3.
the art and theory of writing and producing tragedies.
4.
any literary composition, as a novel, dealing with a somber theme carried to a tragic conclusion.
5.
the tragic element of drama, of literature generally, or of life.
EXPAND
6.
a lamentable, dreadful, or fatal event or affair; calamity; disaster: the tragedy of war.
COLLAPSE
Origin:
1325–75; Middle English tragedie < Medieval Latin tragēdia, Latin tragoedia < Greek tragōidía, equivalent to trág(os) goat + ōidḗ song (see ode) + -ia -y3; reason for name variously explained

Related forms
non·trag·e·dy, noun, plural -dies.
pro·trag·e·dy, adjective
su·per·trag·e·dy, noun, plural -dies.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Tragedy is always a great word to know.
So is zedonk. Does it mean:
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
tragedy (ˈtrædʒɪdɪ)
 
—n , pl -dies
1.  (esp in classical and Renaissance drama) a play in which the protagonist, usually a man of importance and outstanding personal qualities, falls to disaster through the combination of a personal failing and circumstances with which he cannot deal
2.  (in later drama, such as that of Ibsen) a play in which the protagonist is overcome by a combination of social and psychological circumstances
3.  any dramatic or literary composition dealing with serious or sombre themes and ending with disaster
4.  (in medieval literature) a literary work in which a great person falls from prosperity to disaster, often through no fault of his own
5.  the branch of drama dealing with such themes
6.  the unfortunate aspect of something
7.  a shocking or sad event; disaster
 
[C14: from Old French tragédie, from Latin tragoedia, from Greek tragōidia, from tragos goat + ōidē song; perhaps a reference to the goat-satyrs of Peloponnesian plays]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

tragedy
late 14c., "play or other serious literary work with an unhappy ending," from O.Fr. tragedie (14c.), from L. tragedia "a tragedy," from Gk. tragodia "a dramatic poem or play in formal language and having an unhappy resolution," apparently lit. "goat song," from tragos "goat" + oide "song." The connection
EXPAND
may be via satyric drama, from which tragedy later developed, in which actors or singers were dressed in goatskins to represent satyrs. But many other theories have been made (including "singer who competes for a goat as a prize"), and even the "goat" connection is at times questioned. Meaning "any unhappy event, disaster" is from c.1500.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

tragedy definition


A serious drama in which a central character, the protagonist — usually an important, heroic person — meets with disaster either through some personal fault or through unavoidable circumstances. In most cases, the protagonist's downfall conveys a sense of human dignity in the face of great conflict. Tragedy originated in ancient Greece in the works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. In modern times, it achieved excellence with William Shakespeare in such works as Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth, and Othello. Twentieth-century tragedies include Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller, and Murder in the Cathedral, by T. S. Eliot.

Note: Aristotle argued that the proper effect of tragedy is catharsis — the purging of the emotions.
Note: In common usage, disasters of many kinds are called tragedies.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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