Rhapsodic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Exhibiting an overwhelming enthusiasm that results in ecstatic feelings
2. Showing profound excitement or delight often with expressive fervor
3. Marked by vivid passion and great happiness in emotional expression

Etymology: Ancient Greek had a word for a professional reciter. The "rhapsōidos" was a performer who stitched together passages of epic poetry, Homer's most famously, and recited them aloud. The word combined "rhaptein," to stitch or sew, with "ōidē," song, so a rhapsode was literally a song-stitcher. "Rhapsōidikos" was the adjective derived from that noun, describing whatever pertained to such recitation. English took the form "rhapsodic" from that Greek adjective in its Latinized shape, and the meaning has drifted far from the stitching trade. The rhapsodes were known for dramatic, emotional delivery, and that intensity carried over into the modern sense: a rhapsodic description is one written or spoken in ecstatic, enthusiastic terms, full of delight.

Synonyms: ecstatic, enthusiastic, exuberant

Antonyms: apathetic, indifferent