noun
definition
A choral hymn sung in ancient Athens in honor of the god Dionysus.
definition
A poem or oration in the same style.
Examples of dithyramb in a Sentence
He flourished about 625 B.C. Several of the ancients ascribe to him the invention of the dithyramb and of dithyrambic poetry; it is probable, however, that his real service was confined to the organization of that verse, and the conversion of it from a mere drunken song, used in the Dionysiac revels, to a measured antistrophic hymn, sung by a trained body of performers.
Periander further appears as a patron of literature, for it was by his invitation that the poet Anion came to Corinth to organize the dithyramb.
The city was enriched with notable temples and public works (see § Archaeology), and became the home of several Cyclic poets and of Arlon, the perfecter of the dithyramb.