Rhap"so*dy (?), n.;
pl. Rhapsodies (#). [F.
rhapsodie, L. rhapsodia, Gr.
"rapsw,di`a, fr.
"rapsw,do`s a rhapsodist; "ra`ptein to sew, stitch together, unite + 'w,dh` a song. See Ode.]
1. A
recitation or song of a rhapsodist; a portion of an
epic poem adapted for recitation, or usually recited, at one time; hence, a division of the Iliad or
the Odyssey; -- called also a book.
2. A disconnected series of sentences or statements composed under excitement, and without dependence or natural connection; rambling composition. "A rhapsody of words."
Shak. "A rhapsody of tales." Locke.
3. (Mus.) A composition irregular
in form, like an improvisation; as, Liszt's "Hungarian
Rhapsodies."
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