Tragedians

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Artists who engage in the portrayal of sorrowful and dramatic stories on stage
2. Performers who focus on the serious themes of human suffering in theatrical productions
3. Actors who perform roles in serious dramas focusing on sorrowful and sorrowful human experiences

Etymology: "Tragedians" is the plural of "tragedian," a word that first appeared in Middle English as "tragedyen," borrowed from Old French "tragediane" (modern French "tragédien"). The French form is built from "tragedy" plus the suffix "-ian," which marks a person connected with a field or practice, so a tragedian is someone who works in tragedy. Since "tragedy" is itself a Latin-derived word, the chain of borrowing runs through French into English, with the ending doing the job of turning a dramatic genre into a name for the people who perform it. The word is used mainly for actors, and the plural simply refers to a group of them.

Synonyms: actors, performers