Search Result for "dithyramb": 
Wordnet 3.0

NOUN (2)

1. a wildly enthusiastic speech or piece of writing;

2. (ancient Greece) a passionate hymn (usually in honor of Dionysus);


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Dithyramb \Dith"y*ramb\, n. [L. dithyrambus, Gr. ? a kind of lyric poetry in honor of Bacchus; also, a name of Bacchus; of unknown origin: cf. F. dithyrambe.] A kind of lyric poetry in honor of Bacchus, usually sung by a band of revelers to a flute accompaniment; hence, in general, a poem written in a wild irregular strain. --Bentley. [1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

dithyramb n 1: a wildly enthusiastic speech or piece of writing 2: (ancient Greece) a passionate hymn (usually in honor of Dionysus)