n.
Pronunciation: ' rap-s ə -d ē
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -dies
Etymology: Latin rhapsodia, from Greek rhaps ō idia recitation of selections from epic poetry, rhapsody, from rhaps ō idos rhapsodist, from rhaptein to sew, stitch together + aidein to singular ― more at ODE
Date: 1542
1 : a portion of an epic poem adapted for recitation
2 archaic : a miscellaneous collection
3 a (1) : a highly emotional utterance (2) : a highly emotional literary work (3) : effusively rapturous or extravagant discourse b : RAPTURE , ECSTASY
4 : a musical composition of irregular form having an improvisatory character