rhapsody
Syllables: rhap·so·dy/ˈɹæpsədi/
rhapsody noun: an epic poem, or part of one, suitable for uninterrupted recitation.
Noun
rhapsody (plural rhapsodies)
- An epic poem, or part of one, suitable for uninterrupted recitation.
- An exaggeratedly enthusiastic or exalted expression of feeling in speech or writing.
- 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.1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, The History of Pendennis. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850, →OCLC
- An instrumental composition of irregular form, often incorporating improvisation.
- A random collection or medley; a miscellany; also, a confused string of stories, words, etc.
- 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...c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac...
- This concerneth not those mingle-mangles of many kinds of stuffe, or as the Grecians call them Rapsodies, that for such are published[…].1603, Michel de Montaigne, translated by John Florio, The Essayes […], London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC
- A literary composition consisting of miscellaneous works.
Verb
rhapsody (third-person singular simple present rhapsodies, present participle rhapsodying, simple past and past participle rhapsodied)
- To say (something) with exaggerated or rapturous enthusiasm.
- To perform (a rhapsody (“an epic poem, or part of one, suitable for uninterrupted recitation”))
- Followed by about, on, over, or upon: to speak with exaggerated or rapturous enthusiasm.
rhapsody meaning in Bengali, Kannada, Tagalog and Malay
rhapsody in Bengali
- উত্তেজনাপূর্ণ সংগীত রচনা, আবেগময় প্রকাশ
rhapsody in Kannada
- ಹರ್ಷಾತಿರೇಕದ ಅಭಿವ್ಯಕ್ತಿ, ಆಡಂಬರದ ಭಾಷಣ, ಅತ್ಯುತ್ರ್ಪೇಕ್ಷೆಯ ಲೇಖನ, ಉದ್ವೇಗಭರಿತ ಸಂಗೀತ
rhapsody in Tagalog
- ancient Greek epic poem, or part of one, suitable for uninterrupted recitation
- rapsodya
rhapsody in Malay
- instrumental composition of irregular form
- rapsodi
Forms of rhapsody
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | rhapsodies |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | rhapsodies |
| present participle | rhapsodying |
| past participle | rhapsodied |
| past | rhapsodied |
Origin of rhapsody
The noun is derived from Latin rhapsōdia (“part of an epic poem suitable for uninterrupted recitation”), from Koine Greek ῥαψῳδία (rhapsōidía, “part of an epic poem suitable for uninterrupted recitation; rigmarole”), Ancient Greek ῥαψῳδία (rhapsōidía, “composition or recitation of Epic poetry”), from ῥαψῳδός (rhapsōidós, “composer or performer of Epic poetry”) + -ῐ́ᾱ (-ĭ́ā, suffix forming feminine abstract nouns). Ῥαψῳδός (Rhapsōidós) is derived from ῥᾰ́πτω (rhắptō, “to sew”) (possibly from Proto-Indo-European *werb- (“to bend; to turn”)) + ᾠδή (ōidḗ, “ode; song”) + -ος (-os, suffix forming o-grade action nouns). Sense 2.2 (“instrumental composition of irregular form”) probably developed from sense 2.1 (“exaggeratedly enthusiastic or exalted expression of feeling in speech or writing”), and both of these senses may have been influenced by rapture (“extreme excitement, happiness, or pleasure”), the latter being a quality associated with the senses. Sense 2.3 (“literary composition consisting of miscellaneous works”) is borrowed from Middle French rhapsodie (modern French rhapsodie), from Latin rhapsōdia: see above. The verb is derived from the noun. Cognates * French rhapsodie...
Words formed from rhapsody
Questions about rhapsody
- What does rhapsody mean?
- Rhapsody means an epic poem, or part of one, suitable for uninterrupted recitation.
- What is rhapsody in Bengali?
- Rhapsody in Bengali is উত্তেজনাপূর্ণ সংগীত রচনা, আবেগময় প্রকাশ. See Rhapsody meaning in Bengali.
- What part of speech is rhapsody?
- Rhapsody can be a noun or a verb.
- How do you pronounce rhapsody?
- Rhapsody is pronounced /ˈɹæpsədi/ (UK).
- What is the plural of rhapsody?
- The plural of rhapsody is rhapsodies.
Words near rhapsody in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: rhapsody (page history and authors); rhapsody (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); rhapsody (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-rhapsody.wav.
Cite this entry: “rhapsody.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/rhapsody. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.