Myth & LegendGreek → English
Terpsichorean
/ˌtɜːrpsɪkəˈriːən/adjective
Having to do with dancing.
The Greek roots
τέρψις
térpsis
delight, enjoyment
χορός
chorós
dance, chorus
Literally: “delighting in the dance”
The story of the word
Terpsichore was the Muse of choral dance, and her name says what she does. Nineteenth-century English pulled an adjective out of her, used it straight in dance-hall advertising, and now uses it almost only with a wink. The χορός inside her is also the chorus, which in Athens meant a group that sang while moving, not a section of a song.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → Latin → English
- First recorded
- 19th century
Same family
choruschoreographychoirchorale
In a sentence
He described his shuffle around the kitchen as a terpsichorean effort.