dithyramb means A raucous and ardent choral hymn sung in ancient Athens in honor of the god Dionysus. It carries an Arena rating of 1772, earned across 23 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, dithyramb ranks #255 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #256 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say, #295 of 17,106 for Most Storied Words, #1,047 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words.
dithyramb is pronounced /ˈdɪθ.ɪ.ɹæm/.
Why “dithyramb” is a great word
A wild, impassioned choral hymn, originally in honor of Dionysus, or any similarly ecstatic poem or speech. From Latin dithyrambus, from Ancient Greek δῑθύραμβος (dīthúrambos), a word of likely non-Indo-European, Pre-Greek substrate origin, possibly related to θρίαμβος (thríambos, "triumphal hymn") and ἴαμβος (íambos, "iambic verse"). Unlike an "ode," which is formal and ceremonious, or a "rant," which is monologic and petulant, the dithyramb is a collective, artistic frenzy given voice. It is the thrum of stamping feet in a torch-lit vineyard, the ragged breath of a chorus crying out in raw, irregular bursts, and the chaotic surge of poetry born from possession—the sound of human order breaking under the weight of divine madness.
Etymology
From Latin dithyrambus, from Ancient Greek δῑθύραμβος (dīthúrambos). According to the American Heritage Dictionary, it is of non-Indo-European origin (Pre-Greek substrate, Illyrian/Phrygian), related to θρίαμβος (thríambos) and ἴαμβος (íambos). Brandenstein also compares Sanskrit अङ्ग (aṅga, “member”).
noun
- A raucous and ardent choral hymn sung in ancient Athens in honor of the god Dionysus.
- A poem or oration in the same style.e.g.“While those who drown a truth’s empiric part
In dithyramb or dogma turn frenetic;
— Than whom no writer could be less poetic
He left this lesson for all verse, all art.” — 1969, Robert Conquest, “George Orwell”, in Arias from a Love Opera, and Other Poems, Macmillan, page 32:
- An impassioned speech; a rant.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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