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tragedy

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Definition of tragedy

noun (plural tragedies)

1an event causing great suffering, destruction, and distress, such as a serious accident, crime, or natural catastrophe:a tragedy that killed 95 people [mass noun]:his life had been plagued by tragedy

2a play dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of the main character: Shakespeare’s tragedies
[mass noun] the dramatic genre represented by tragedies:Greek tragedyCompare with comedy.

Origin:

late Middle English: from Old French tragedie, via Latin from Greek tragōidia, apparently from tragos 'goat' (the reason remains unexplained) + ōidē 'song, ode'. Compare with tragic

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tragedy began in ancient Greece.

tragedy in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of tragedy in the US English dictionary

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