Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun One who undertook the expense of providing the chorus in ancient Greek drama.
- noun The leader of a group or movement.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In Greek antiquity, the leader or superintendent of a chorus; the superintendent of a theatrical representation at Athens.
- noun Hence, figuratively, any conductor or leader, as of an entertainment or festival.
- noun [ML.] Eccles., an officer who superintends the musical details of divine service. The name and office are still retained in the University of Oxford.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Gr. Antiq.) A chorus leader; esp. one who provided at his own expense and under his own supervision one of the choruses for the musical contents at Athens.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun historical, Ancient Greece A
chorus leader , especially one who provided at his ownexpense and under his ownsupervision one of the choruses for the musical contests atAthens .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun (ancient Greece) leader of a group or festival; leader of a chorus
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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[1760] You are always the same, whether playing the "choragus" or not.
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It was a sight of joy to see them return at night, axe on shoulder, feigning to march like soldiers, a choragus with a loud voice singing out,
Vailima Letters 2005
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The choragus has fallen on his knees, and dips his head two or three times in an excavation in the ground, and a choir, also on their knees, repeat in dolorous tones the last words of a slow and solemn refrain.
How I Found Livingstone Henry Morton 2004
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At Lacedaemon there was a choragus who led the chorus with a flute, and at Athens the instrument became so popular that most freemen could play upon it.
Politics Aristotle 2002
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She was their graceful choragus; or rather, she, like some slim daughter of the
Little Novels of Italy Madonna Of The Peach-Tree, Ippolita In The Hills, The Duchess Of Nona, Messer Cino And The Live Coal, The Judgment Of Borso Maurice Henry Hewlett
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He pursues the rest; and the games are alike, except that in "catch" he who is to be made "it" must be caught and held by him who is "it," whereas in "tag" a touch is sufficient to transfer the responsibility, and inaugurate the new choragus.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 18, No. 108, October, 1866 Various
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Therefore go and sacrifice the sheep in the house, cut off the legs and bring them here; thus the carcase will be saved for the choragus.
The Eleven Comedies, Volume 1 446? BC-385? BC Aristophanes
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For I should be appointed as choragus for tragedies and should call on him to exchange with me, he would prefer to be choragus ten times rather than exchange once with me.
The Orations of Lysias 440? BC-380 BC Lysias
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In _Cur. _ 462 ff. the _choragus_ interpolates a recital composed of topical allusions to the manners of different neighborhoods of Rome.
The Dramatic Values in Plautus Wilton Wallace Blanck�� 1916
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Demosthenes, you remember, when he was providing for a certain little company of chorus dancers and musicians, requested to be styled no longer Demosthenes, but "choragus."
yarb commented on the word choragus
...it dawned on him that he might be called upon to act as choragus himself.
- Malcolm Lowry, October Ferry to Gabriola
July 30, 2008
michaelt42 commented on the word choragus
Choragus and Coryphæus, according to OED, are two posts in the Department of Music at Oxford carrying "modest stipends". They appear to be sinecures. Choregus is an alternative; the spelling varies according to the Greek dialect from which the word is transcribed.
April 15, 2012