Word: chorus Part of Speech: noun 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”); The verb is derived from the noun. Doublet of choir, chore, and hora. Pronunciation: /ˈkɔːɹəs/, /ˈkoɹəs/, /ˈkoːɹəs/ 1. A group of singers and dancers in a theatrical performance or religious festival who commented on the main performance in speech or song. Labels: historical Example: [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: […] 2. A song performed by the singers of such a group. Labels: historical Example: 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: […] 3. 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. Labels: UK, broadly, historical Example: 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: […] Example: Ya're as good as a Chorus my lord. 4. 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. Example: The performance of the chorus was awe-inspiring and exhilarating. Example: They are shadowed by a robed chorus of Beckettian sages--Homer (Joseph Grimm), Hesiod (Gary Kelley), Herodotos (Daniel Parker) and Thucydides (Michael Rivkin)--given to Joseph Campbell-like pronouncements on the power of myth. 5. A group of people in a performance who recite together. Labels: broadly 6. An instance of singing by a group of people. Example: But once out of sight of those fearful precincts, the psalm was forgotten, and again broke, loud, clear, and silvery, the joyous chorus. 7. A group of people, animals, or inanimate objects who make sounds together. Labels: figuratively Example: a chorus of crickets a chorus of whiners Example: 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. 8. The noise or sound made by such a group. Labels: figuratively Example: a chorus of shouts and catcalls Example: 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. 9. A group of people who express a unanimous opinion. Labels: figuratively Example: 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. Example: 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. 10. The opinion expressed by such a group. Labels: figuratively Example: 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”. 11. 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). 12. A part of a song which is repeated between verses to emphasize the song's content; a refrain. Example: The catchiest part of most songs is the chorus. Example: [T]he commodore, the lieutenant, and landlord, joined in the chorus, repeating this elegant ſtanza: […] 13. The main part of a pop song played after the introduction. 14. 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. 15. A feature or setting in electronic music that makes one instrument sound like many. Labels: attributive, often 16. A simple, often repetitive, song intended to be sung in a group during informal worship. 17. The improvised solo section in a small group performance. Example: 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. Example: 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.