rhapsody

English

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle French rhapsodie, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin rhapsōdia, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Ancient Greek ῥαψῳδία (rhapsōidía, “to sew songs together”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɹæpsədi/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

rhapsody (plural rhapsodies)

1. (poetry) An ancient Greek epic poem (or part of one) suitable for uninterrupted recitation.
2. (obsolete) A random collection or medley; a miscellany or confused string of stories, words etc.
   • " 1599-1601, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, III.iv.41-48:

     Such an act

     That blurs the grace and blush of modesty;

     Calls virtue hypocrite; takes off the rose

     From the fair forehead of an innocent love

     And sets a blister there; makes marriage vows

     As false as dicers' oaths; O, such a deed

     As from the body of contraction plucks

     The very soul, and sweet religion makes

     A rhapsody of words!

   • Template:RQ:Florio Montaigne Essayes, vol.1, p.138:

     This concerneth not those mingle-mangles of many kinds of stuffe, or as the Grecians call them Rapsodies, that for such are published […].

   • 1706, John Locke, Of the Conduct of the Understanding, §13, "Observation":

     He, that makes no reflexions on what he reads, only loads his mind with a rhapsody of tales fit for the entertainment of others.

3. An exalted or exaggeratedly enthusiastic expression of feeling in speech or writing.
   • 1848-50, William Makepeace Thackeray, Pendennis, ch 6:

     Of course here Mr. Pen went off into a rhapsody through which, as we have perfect command over our own feelings, we have no reason to follow the lad. Of course, love, truth, and eternity were produced: and words were tried but found impossible to plumb the tremendous depth of his affection.

4. (music) An instrumental composition of irregular form often incorporating improvisation.

Translations

ancient Greek epic poem

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 狂想曲 (zh) (kuángxiǎngqǔ)

• Finnish: rapsodia (fi)
• Irish: rosc ceoil m
• Japanese: 狂詩曲 (kyōshikyoku), ラプソディ (rapusodi)
• Korean: 광시곡 (ko) (gwangsigok)
• Latin: rhapsōdia f
• Polish: rapsod (pl) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: rapsódia (pt) f
• Russian: рапсодия (ru) f (rapsodija)
• Slovak: rapsódia
• Spanish: rapsodia (es) f
• Swedish: rapsodi (sv) c
• Tagalog: rapsodya
• Volapük: kobostukot

Anagrams

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