cothurn means A buskin anciently worn by tragic actors on the stage. It carries an Arena rating of 1365, earned across 148 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, cothurn ranks #1,190 of 13,218 for Most Exacting Words, #1,206 of 13,218 for Most Storied Words, #1,644 of 13,218 for Most Ponderous Words, #2,352 of 13,218 for Most Satisfying to Say.
cothurn is pronounced /ˈkɒθə(ɹ)n/.
Why “cothurn” is a great word
COTHURN — [Noun] A thick-soled, laced boot of elevated height worn by actors in ancient Greek and Roman tragedy to augment their stature and presence. From Latin cothurnus, from Ancient Greek κόθορνος (kóthornos, “a high boot, buskin”). First known use in English: 1606. Unlike the soccus, the low slipper of comedy, or the generic buskin, a term for any calf-high boot, the cothurn is solemnly specific to the tragic stage. It is the concealed platform for doomed kings, the creak of leather binding player to fate, the unseen foundation of every lament—a physical lie worn to tell a spiritual truth, where grandeur walks a little above the earth.
Etymology
From Latin cothurnus, from Ancient Greek κόθορνος (kóthornos). Compare cothurnus.
noun
- A buskin anciently worn by tragic actors on the stage.“The moment had arrived when it was thought that the mask and the cothurn might again be assumed with effect.”
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