Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. One who undertook the expense of providing the chorus in ancient Greek drama.
- n. The leader of a group or movement.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. In Greek antiquity, the leader or superintendent of a chorus; the superintendent of a theatrical representation at Athens. One choragus from each tribe had to provide at his own expense for the equipment and instruction of the choruses for tragedies and comedies on the occasion of various religious festivals. He was chosen by election, and the office, though very onerous, was held to be one of great, honor.
- n. Hence, figuratively, any conductor or leader, as of an entertainment or festival.
- n. [ML.] Eccles., an officer who superintends the musical details of divine service. The name and office are still retained in the University of Oxford.
Wiktionary
- n. historical, Ancient Greece A chorus leader, especially one who provided at his own expense and under his own supervision one of the choruses for the musical contests at Athens.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Gr. Antiq.) A chorus leader; esp. one who provided at his own expense and under his own supervision one of the choruses for the musical contents at Athens.
WordNet 3.0
- n. (ancient Greece) leader of a group or festival; leader of a chorus
Etymologies
- Latin choragus, from Ancient Greek χορός ("chorus") + ἄγω ("I lead"). (Wiktionary)
- Latin chorāgus, from Greek khorēgos, khorāgos : khoros, chorus; see gher-1 in Indo-European roots + agein, to lead. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“[1760] You are always the same, whether playing the "choragus" or not.”
“It was a sight of joy to see them return at night, axe on shoulder, feigning to march like soldiers, a choragus with a loud voice singing out,”
“The choragus has fallen on his knees, and dips his head two or three times in an excavation in the ground, and a choir, also on their knees, repeat in dolorous tones the last words of a slow and solemn refrain.”
“At Lacedaemon there was a choragus who led the chorus with a flute, and at Athens the instrument became so popular that most freemen could play upon it.”
“He pursues the rest; and the games are alike, except that in "catch" he who is to be made "it" must be caught and held by him who is "it," whereas in "tag" a touch is sufficient to transfer the responsibility, and inaugurate the new choragus.”
“Therefore go and sacrifice the sheep in the house, cut off the legs and bring them here; thus the carcase will be saved for the choragus.”
“For I should be appointed as choragus for tragedies and should call on him to exchange with me, he would prefer to be choragus ten times rather than exchange once with me.”
“She was their graceful choragus; or rather, she, like some slim daughter of the”
“In _Cur. _ 462 ff. the _choragus_ interpolates a recital composed of topical allusions to the manners of different neighborhoods of Rome.”
“Demosthenes, you remember, when he was providing for a certain little company of chorus dancers and musicians, requested to be styled no longer Demosthenes, but "choragus.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘choragus’.
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Collected Words - List 2
I've been saving these words FOR YEARS. Now, I've found Wordie
gasconade, zaccheus, spoor, precentor, bombazine, otiose, khamsin, bruited, viva voce, whilom, lenitive, ebullition and 244 more...
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phrontistery - c
from phrontistery.info
czardas, cytometer, cytology, cytheromania, cystoscope, cystolith, cyrenaic, cypseline, cyprinoid, cyphonism, cynophobia, cytogenesis and 1298 more...
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Logolepsy
"Luciferous Logolepsy is a collection of over 9,000 obscure English words. Though the definition of an 'English' word might seem to be straightforward, it is not. There exist so many adopted, deriv...
Anschauung, Areopagus, Argus, Briarean, Dei gratia, Dei judicium, Deo volente, Duecento, Foehn, Geflugelte Worte, Gegenschein, Hakenkreuz and 9230 more...
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ktrey's wordlist
Words that I like.
Many may be lexicographically impotent due to a lack of citations and definition. Hopefully I'll be able to rectify this eventually.velleity, dispositive, bloviate, bibulous, fungible, concupiscence, avuncular, carnaptious, thrawn, hypocoristic, diegesis, lagniappe and 928 more...
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etymons
source words - to the core
etymon, entity, ontology, essence, biont, am, is, yes, present, sooth, soothe, sin and 11 more...
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moving driving words
act, active, actor, actual, actuary, actuate, agendum, agent, agile, agitate, allege, ambage and 47 more...
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Lowry
nutant, meed, donga, mephitic, punk, caliginous, cauchemar, horripilation, hyacinthine, corposant, counterscarp, garboon and 65 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for choragus.
michaelt42 Choragus and Coryphæus, according to OED, are two posts in the Department of Music at Oxford carrying "modest stipends". They appear to be sinecures. Choregus is an alternative; the spelling varies according to the Greek dialect from which the word is transcribed. Apr 15, 2012
yarb ...it dawned on him that he might be called upon to act as choragus himself.
- Malcolm Lowry, October Ferry to Gabriola Jul 30, 2008