Word of the Day
Epithalamium
Pronunciation
[ep-uh-thuh-ley-mee-uh m]
Part of speech
Noun
Origin
Latin & Greek, 1588
Definition(s)
A song or poem in honor of a bride and bridegroom.
Used in a sentence
- Her abandonment and awakening are celebrated in the beautiful Epithalamium of Catullus..
- Of course, the "Epithalamium" she was going to sing was as florid as it could be..
About the Word
A poem written to celebrate a wedding. Many ancient poets (Pindar, Sappho, Theocritus, and Calullus) as well as modern poets (the French Ronsard and the English Spenser) have cultivated the form. Perhaps Spenser’s Epithalamion (1595)—written to celebrate his own marriage—is the finest English example. The successive stanzas treat such topics as invocation to the muses to help praise his bride; awakening the bride by music; decking of the bridal path with flowers; adorning of the bride by nymphs; assembling of the guests; description of the physical and spiritual beauty of the bride; the bride at the altar; the marriage feast; welcoming the night; asking the blessing of Diana, Juno, and the stars. Any number of later works—from Coleridge’s Rime of the Ancient Mariner to Salinger’s “Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters”—exploit various engaging features of the tradition of the epithalamium.[1]
The Word of the Day can also be found in the following places:
Courtesy of Dictionary.com
[1] Harmon, William. Handbook to Literature. 12thth ed., Boston, Pearson, 2012, pp. 180-81.
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