dithyramb

[ dith-uh-ram, -ramb ]

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.

dithyramb

/ -ˌræmb; ˈdɪθɪˌræm /

noun

1. (in ancient Greece) a passionate choral hymn in honour of Dionysus; the forerunner of Greek drama
2. any utterance or a piece of writing that resembles this

Word History and Origins

Origin of dithyramb¹

1595–1605; < Latin dīthyrambus < Greek dīthýrambos

Word History and Origins

Origin of dithyramb¹

C17: from Latin dīthyrambus, from Greek dithurambos; related to iambos iamb

Example Sentences

Ginsberg’s incantatory dithyrambs pulled the Beats, Walt Whitman and much of 20th century poetry into view.

From Los Angeles Times

Tragedy was born, old-school anthropologists will tell you, when a dithyramb singer stepped out of the chorus and decided to act out the story instead.

From New York Times

A series of dithyrambs, called Cyclops I, II and III, from 1973, are some of the most powerful works in either exhibition, reminiscent of late Lovis Corinth, another unclassifiable German painter, who died in 1925.

From Washington Post

The ensemble’s rich resonance, combined with the variety of pitches and shifting dynamics, evokes a kaleidoscopic dithyramb of rare power.

From Washington Post

His is a poet’s prose, given to dithyramb, and it can’t be hurried along.

From Washington Post