epithalamium
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About Our Definitions: All forms of a word (noun, verb, etc.) are now displayed on one page.ep·i·tha·la·mi·um
noun \ˌe-pə-thə-ˈlā-mē-əm\ plural ep·i·tha·la·mi·ums or ep·i·tha·la·mia\-mē-ə\
Definition of EPITHALAMIUM
: a song or poem in honor of a bride and bridegroom
— ep·i·tha·lam·ic \-ˈla-mik\ adjective
Variants of EPITHALAMIUM
ep·i·tha·la·mi·um or ep·i·tha·la·mi·on \-mē-ən\
Origin of EPITHALAMIUM
Latin & Greek; Latin epithalamium, from Greek epithalamion, from epi- + thalamos room, bridal chamber; perhaps akin to Greek tholos rotunda
First Known Use: 1588
epithalamium
noun (Concise Encyclopedia)Nuptial song or poem in honour or praise of a bride and bridegroom. In ancient Greece such songs were a traditional way of invoking good fortune on a marriage and often of indulging in ribaldry. The earliest evidence for literary epithalamiums are fragments by Sappho; the oldest surviving Latin examples are three by Catullus. In the Renaissance, epithalamiums based on classical models were written in Italy, France, and England; that of Edmund Spenser (1595) is considered the finest in English.
Variants of EPITHALAMIUM
epithalamium or epithalamion
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