noun
rhapsody
RAP-suh-dee
noun
1
A piece of music with a free, flowing structure, often mixing different moods and sometimes improvised passages.
"Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" blends jazz and classical styles."
2
An outpouring of enthusiastic, almost overexcited praise or feeling.
"He went into a rhapsody about the sunset over the valley."
verb
1
To speak or write about something with exaggerated enthusiasm.
"She rhapsodized about the restaurant for a full ten minutes."
How to Use Rhapsody
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither a free-flowing musical piece or an over-the-top gushing expression of enthusiasm.
Common pairings
rhapsody in blue
go into a rhapsody
rhapsodize about
Word Forms
rhapsodied past tense, rhapsodies plural, rhapsodies singular
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Gershwin's "_____ in Blue" blends jazz and classical styles.
Etymology
From Greek rhapsōidia, "a part of an epic poem recited aloud," from rhaptein ("to sew, stitch together") plus ōidē ("song") — literally "stitched-together song."