n.
Pronunciation: ' tra-j ə -d ē
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -dies
Etymology: Middle English tragedie, from Middle French, from Latin tragoedia, from Greek trag ō idia, from tragos goat (akin to Greek tr ō gein to gnaw) + aeidein to singular ― more at TROGLODYTE , ODE
Date: 14th century
1 a : a medieval narrative poem or tale typically describing the downfall of a great man b : a serious drama typically describing a conflict between the protagonist and a superior force (as destiny) and having a sorrowful or disastrous conclusion that elicits pity or terror c : the literary genre of tragic dramas
2 a : a disastrous event : CALAMITY b : MISFORTUNE
3 : tragic quality or element