chorus
pronunciation
How to pronounce chorus in British English:
UK [ˈkɔːrəs]
How to pronounce chorus in American English:
US [ˈkɔːrəs]
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- Noun:
- any utterance produced simultaneously by a group
- a group of people assembled to sing together
- the part of a song where a soloist is joined by a group of singers
- a body of dancers or singers who perform together
- a company of actors who comment (by speaking or singing in unison) on the action in a classical Greek play
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- Verb:
- utter in unison
- sing in a choir
Word Origin
- chorus
- chorus: see choir
- chorus (n.)
- 1560s, from Latin chorus "a dance in a circle, the persons singing and dancing, the chorus of a tragedy," from Greek khoros "band of dancers or singers, dance, dancing ground," perhaps from PIE *gher- "to grasp, enclose," if the original sense of the Greek word is "enclosed dancing floor." Extension from dance to voice is because Attic drama arose from tales inserted in the intervals of the dance. In Attic tragedy, the khoros (of 12 or 15 (tragic) or 24 (comedic) persons) gave expression, between the acts, to the moral and religious sentiments evoked by the actions of the play. When a Poet wished to bring out a piece, he asked a Chorus from the Archon, and the expenses, being great, were defrayed by some rich citizen (the khoregos): it was furnished by the Tribe and trained originally by the Poet himself" [Liddell & Scott] Originally in English used in theatrical sense; meaning of "a choir" first attested 1650s. Meaning "the refrain of a song" (which the audience joins in singing) is 1590s. As a verb, 1703, from the noun. Chorus girl is 1894.
Example
- 1. How is the last chorus different to the first ?
- 2. People grow up with piano lessons , chorus classes and marching band practices .
- 3. Do the us and the west have a role in this drama , other than as a shambolic chorus ?
- 4. In college , before he dropped out , he had performed as part of the chorus in " oedipus rex . "
- 5. That chorus is unlikely to pipe down .