chorus
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈkɔːɹəs/
ipa: /ˈkɔɹəs/
ipa: /ˈkoːɹəs/
rhymes: -ɔːɹəs
ipa: /ˈkɔːɹaɪ/
ipa: /ˈkɔɹaɪ/
Forms: form: choruses
form: chorusses
form: chori
Etymology: The noun is borrowed from Medieval Latin chorus (“church choir”), Latin chorus (“group of dancers and singers; dance”), from Ancient Greek χορός (khorós, “group of dancers and singers, choir, chorus; dance accompanied by song; round dance”); further etymology uncertain, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰer- (“to encircle, enclose”) or *ǵʰoros. Doublet of choir, chore, and hora.
The plural form chori is from Latin chorī, from Ancient Greek χοροί (khoroí).
The verb is derived from the noun.
Senses: examples: text: [W]ee would that the voice and dialect of the propheteſſe Pythia, reſembling the ſpeech of a Chorus in a tragedie from a ſcaffold, ſhould pronounce her anſwers not in ſimple, plaine, and triviall termes, without any grace to ſet them out, but with Poeticall magnificence of high and ſtately verſes, diſguiſed as it were with metaphors and figurative phraſes, yea, and that which more is, with ſound of flute and hautboies: […]
ref: 1603, Plutarch, “Why the Prophetesse Pythia Giveth No Answers Now from the Oracle in Verse or Meeter”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Philosophie, Commonlie Called, The Morals […], London: […] Arnold Hatfield, →OCLC, page 1199:
qualifier: Ancient Greece
glosses: A group of singers and dancers in a theatrical performance or religious festival who commented on the main performance in speech or song.
examples: text: And the Apocalyps of Saint Iohn is the majeſtick image of a high and ſtately Tragedy, ſhutting up and intermingling her ſolemn Scenes and Acts with a ſevenfold Chorus of halleluja's and harping ſymphonies: […]
ref: 1642 (indicated as 1641), John Milton, The Reason of Church-governement Urg’d against Prelaty […], London: […] E[dward] G[riffin] for Iohn Rothwell, […], →OCLC, 2nd book, page 39:
qualifier: Ancient Greece
glosses: A song performed by the singers of such a group.
examples: text: Enter Chorus. / Cut is the branch that might haue growne ful ſtraight, / And burned is Apolloes Laurel bough, / That ſometime grew within this learned man: […]
ref: 1589–1592 (date written), Ch[ristopher] Marl[owe], The Tragicall History of D. Faustus. […], London: […] V[alentine] S[immes] for Thomas Bushell, published 1604, →OCLC, signature [F3], recto:
text: Ya're as good as a Chorus my lord.
ref: c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shake-speare, The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: […] (First Quarto), London: […] [Valentine Simmes] for N[icholas] L[ing] and Iohn Trundell, published 1603, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:
text: Palinode. / Amo[rphus]. From ſpaniſh ſhrugs, french faces, ſmirks, irps, and all affected humours: / Chorvs. Good Mercvry defend vs.
ref: 1600 (first performance), Beniamin Ionson [i.e., Ben Jonson], “Cynthias Reuels, or The Fountayne of Selfe-Loue. […]”, in The Workes of Beniamin Ionson (First Folio), London: […] Will[iam] Stansby, published 1616, →OCLC, Act V, scene xi, page 267:
text: Enter Time, the Chorus. [stage direction]
ref: c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i], page 289, column 2:
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
theater
glosses: An actor who reads the prologue and epilogue of a play, and sometimes also acts as a commentator or narrator; also, a portion of a play read by this actor.
examples: text: The performance of the chorus was awe-inspiring and exhilarating.
text: But the rise of multiracialism is not all Kumbaya choruses and “postracial” identity. The N.A.A.C.P. criticized the census change, fearing that since so few in the black community are of fully African descent, mass attrition to a mixed-race option could threaten political clout and Federal financing.
ref: 2008 March 23, Peggy Orenstein, “Mixed Messenger”, in The New York Times:
glosses: A group of singers performing together; a choir; specifically, such a group singing together in a musical, an opera, etc., as distinct from the soloists; an ensemble.
glosses: A group of people in a performance who recite together.
examples: text: But once out of sight of those fearful precincts, the psalm was forgotten, and again broke, loud, clear, and silvery, the joyous chorus.
ref: 1848, [Edward Bulwer-Lytton], chapter I, in Harold, the Last of the Saxon Kings; […], 2nd edition, volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, book I (The Norman Visitor, the Saxon King, and the Danish Prophetess), page 6:
glosses: An instance of singing by a group of people.
examples: text: a chorus of crickets    a chorus of whiners
text: More than just an appliance, the air conditioner is a memento mori. […] As summer proceeds, listen to the chorus of machines humming in the windows, outside the houses, atop the office buildings.
ref: 2017 August 9, Shane Cashman, “The Moral History of Air-Conditioning”, in The Atlantic:
glosses: A group of people, animals, or inanimate objects who make sounds together.
examples: text: a chorus of shouts and catcalls
text: As she came to the last line [of a song], her soft low voice seemed to awaken a chorus of sprightly horns and trumpets, and certain other wind instruments peculiar to the music of that day.
ref: 1848, [Edward Bulwer-Lytton], chapter I, in Harold, the Last of the Saxon Kings; […], 2nd edition, volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, book I (The Norman Visitor, the Saxon King, and the Danish Prophetess), pages 18–19:
text: At the end of a frantic first 45 minutes, there was still time for Charlie Adam to strike the bar from 20 yards before referee [Martin] Atkinson departed to a deafening chorus of jeering from Everton's fans.
ref: 2011 October 1, Phil McNulty, “Everton 0 – 2 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 06 Sep 2021:
glosses: The noise or sound made by such a group.
examples: text: So far, more than a dozen EU countries have either enacted a windfall tax or said they’re planning to. […] On Monday, US President Joe Biden joined the chorus, accusing oil companies of “war profiteering” and threatening them with big new levies if they fail to bring down consumer prices.
ref: 2022 November 2, “Windfall Taxes Are All the Rage. They Shouldn’t Be.”, in The Washington Post:
text: Donald Trump’s top political staffers at Mar-a-Lago are pressing him to move forward with his planned 2024 presidential campaign announcement next week but a chorus of allies are suggesting delaying until after the Senate runoff in Georgia in December, according to sources familiar with the matter.
ref: 2022 November 11, Hugo Lowell, “Rift in Trump’s inner circle over 2024 presidential campaign announcement”, in The Guardian:
glosses: A group of people who express a unanimous opinion.
examples: text: On Friday, 75 scholars and clinicians signed an open letter, joining a chorus of disagreement with Berenson by arguing that “establishing marijuana as a causal link to violence at the individual level is both theoretically and empirically problematic”.
ref: 2019 February 17, Jamiles Lartey, “Popular book on marijuana's apparent dangers is pure alarmism, experts say”, in The Guardian:
glosses: The opinion expressed by such a group.
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
glosses: A piece of music, especially one in a larger work such as an opera, written to be sung by a choir in parts (for example, by sopranos, altos, tenors, and basses).
examples: text: The catchiest part of most songs is the chorus.
text: [T]he commodore, the lieutenant, and landlord, joined in the chorus, repeating this elegant ſtanza: […]
ref: 1751, [Tobias] Smollett, “An Account of Mr. Gamaliel Pickle. […]”, in The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), London: Harrison and Co., […], →OCLC, page 10, column 1:
text: See the flowing bowl before us, / Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la! / Strike the harp and join the chorus. / Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la!
ref: 1862, T[homas] Oliphant; John Thomas, arranger, “No. 15. Nos Galan. New Year’s Eve. [Deck the Halls]”, in Welsh Melodies: With Welsh and English Poetry, London: Addison, Hollier & Lucas, →OCLC, stanza 2, page 140:
english: Deck the Halls
translation: Deck the Halls
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
glosses: A part of a song which is repeated between verses to emphasize the song's content; a refrain.
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
glosses: The main part of a pop song played after the introduction.
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
glosses: A group of organ pipes or organ stops intended to be played simultaneously; a compound stop; also, the sound made by such pipes or stops.
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
glosses: A feature or setting in electronic music that makes one instrument sound like many.
topics: Christianity
entertainment
lifestyle
music
glosses: A simple, often repetitive, song intended to be sung in a group during informal worship.
examples: text: Of additional interest is the riff in the second chorus, which was later copied by Joe Garland and recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra as "In the Mood," becoming the biggest hit of the Swing Era.
ref: 2002, Thomas E. Larson, History and Tradition of Jazz, Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing, →ISBN:
text: Jazz solos in the 1920s are much more about variety and discontinuity than unity and coherence. The explosive introduction, the instrutable and tender scat-clarinet dialogue, the spritely piano chorus, and the majestic trumpet chorus—contrast is far more important than unity.
ref: 2014, Thomas Brothers, “‘Some Kind of a God’”, in Louis Armstrong: Master of Modernism, New York, N.Y.; London: W[illiam] W[arder] Norton & Company, →ISBN, page 299:
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
qualifier: jazz
glosses: The improvised solo section in a small group performance.
Derived terms: bird chorus
chorus frog
chorus girl
chorusless
choruslike
chorus line
chorusmaster
cyberchorus
cyclic chorus
dawn chorus
Greek chorus
in chorus
Nikon chorus
post-chorus
prechorus
semichorus
verse-chorus
Related terms: auroral chorus
choir
choral
chorea
choreographer
choreography
choreutic
chorine
chorister
Huntington's chorea
quire
Sydenham's chorea