Rhapsody (noun)
Pronunciation: ['ræp-sê-dee]
Definition: An epic poem or major part of one; a work of art composed of miscellaneous pieces strung together; an exalted expression of feeling lacking logic or structure, such as a piece of music or literature.
Usage: Today's melodious word comes from a musical family: the adjective is "rhapsodical" and the verb is "rhapsodize." The wanderers who recited the odes of Homer and Hesiod by heart, preserving them for posterity, are generally referred to as "rhapsodists." Swinburne, however, wrote in one of his essays published in 1867, "There has been since Chaucer no second teller of tales, no second rhapsode, comparable to the first."
Suggested Usage: Today our word refers most frequently to an effusive panegyric as opposed to a reasoned exposition: "Our presentation should be a rhapsody of New Monia as the perfect location for a medical center rather than a detailed economic analysis of the town." Rhapsodies run more on enthusiasm than organized thought: "Patsy spun such a rhapsody of her family life that no one believed her.
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