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rhapsody

Pronunciation: /ˈrapsədi/
Translate rhapsody | into French | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of rhapsody

noun (plural rhapsodies)

  • 1an effusively enthusiastic or ecstatic expression of feeling:rhapsodies of praise
  • Music a free instrumental composition in one extended movement, typically one that is emotional in character: Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsodies
  • 2(in ancient Greece) an epic poem, or part of a poem, of a suitable length for recitation at one time.

Derivatives

rhapsodic

Pronunciation: /rapˈsɒdɪk/
adjective

rhapsodical

Pronunciation: /rapˈsɒdɪk(ə)l/
adjective

rhapsodically

Pronunciation: /rapˈsɒdɪk(ə)li/
adverb

Origin:

mid 16th century (in sense 2): via Latin from Greek rhapsōidia, from rhaptein 'to stitch' + ōidē 'song, ode'

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rhapsody in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of rhapsody in the US English dictionary
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