Terpsichore

Meanings

1. 1proper nounproperliterary

   In Greek mythology, the goddess who inspired dance and choral song, one of the nine Muses.

   Grammar: A name, so it is written with a capital letter and takes no article.

   The statue shows Terpsichore holding a lyre and stepping forward.

   Poets once called on Terpsichore to guide their verses about dance.

   Terpsichore was one of the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne.

2. 2noununcountablehumorousold-fashioned

   The art of dancing, used in a humorous or old-fashioned, literary way.

   Grammar: Used without an article: devotees of Terpsichore.

   Patterns

   • devotee of Terpsichore
   • the art of Terpsichore

   The guests spent the evening in the joys of Terpsichore.

   He was no great devotee of Terpsichore and stayed near the buffet.

   The ballroom was given over to Terpsichore until midnight.

Common combinations

devotee of Terpsichore

My aunt is a devotee of Terpsichore and dances every week.

temple of Terpsichore

The old ballroom was a temple of Terpsichore.

muse Terpsichore

The muse Terpsichore is often shown with a lyre.

worship at the altar of Terpsichore

The students worship at the altar of Terpsichore every Friday.

Synonyms and how they differ

dance

Dance is the plain, everyday word, whereas Terpsichore is a playful or literary stand-in for it.

muse

Muse is the general title for any of the nine goddesses of the arts, not only the one for dance.

choreography

Choreography refers to the planned design of dance moves, not to the spirit or art of dance.

Word family

terpsichorean adjective

relating to dance

terpsichorean noun

a dancer, humorous

muse noun

a goddess of the arts, or a source of inspiration

choreographer noun

a person who designs dances

Commonly confused: Terpsichore or Thalia? Terpsichore or Terpsichorean?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “Terpsichore”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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