coryphaeuses

Noun

coryphaeus (plural coryphaeuses or coryphaei)

1. (historical, Ancient Greece) The conductor or leader of the chorus of a drama.
   • Then the coryphæus finishes the remaining part of the strophe. But when they have returned to order, Bacchus again interposes by beginning the antistrophe β', which the coryphæus ought to have done.1830, Gottfried Hermann, Gottfried Hermann, translated by John Seager, Hermann's Elements of the Doctrine of Metres, page 165

   Synonyms:

   coryphée

2. (broadly) The chief or leader of an interest or party.
   • Of the work which I have done, it becomes me not here to speak, save only as relates to the Satanic School, and its Coryphæus, the author of Don Juan.1822, Robert Southey, Mr. Southey's Reply to Lord Byron: Blackwood's Magazine, volume 11, page 94

   Synonyms:

   coryphe, coryphée

3. The leader of an opera chorus or another ensemble of singers.