rhapsody Meaning, Definition & Usage

Rhap"so*dy noun

Etymology

F. rhapsodie, L. rhapsodia, Gr. , fr. a rhapsodist; to sew, stith together, unite + a song. See Ode.

Wordforms

plural Rhapsodies

Definitions

1. A recitation or song of a rhapsodist; a portion of an epic poem adapted for recitation, or usually recited, at one time; hence, a division of the Iliad or the Odyssey; -- called also a book.
2. A disconnected series of sentences or statements composed under excitement, and without dependence or natural connection; rambling composition. "A rhapsody of words." Shak. "A rhapsody of tales." Locke.
3. (Mus.) A composition irregular in form, like an improvisation; as, Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsodies."