Dithyramb

The dithyramb (Ancient Greek: διθύραμβος, dithyrambos) was an ancient Greek hymn sung and danced in honor of Dionysus, the god of wine and fertility; the term was also used as an epithet of the god Plato, in The Laws, while discussing various kinds of music mentions "the birth of Dionysos, called, I think, the dithyramb." Plato also remarks in the Republic that dithyrambs are the clearest example of poetry in which the poet is the only speaker.

A surname of Dionysus, derived from a hymn song at the festivals of Dyonisus. It celebrated the sufferings and actions of the god, particularly his double birth. In time it developed into a special class of Greek lyric poetry, called dithyramb.