scolion

English

Alternative forms

• scolium, skolion

Etymology

From Ancient Greek σκόλῐον (skólĭon).

Pronunciation

• enPR: skōʹlĭŏn, IPA^(key): /ˈskəʊlɪɒn/
• Homophone: scholion

Noun

scolion (plural scolia)

1. (Greek antiquities) Any of a genre of songs sung in turn by symposiasts to the accompaniment of a lyre.
   • 1603, Holland, Plutarch, page 1257:

     Terpander was the inventour of those songs called Scolia, which were sung at feasts.

   • 1656, Stanley, Hist. Philos., book vi, chapter iv, page 7:

     Which Athenæus, proveth against the Calumniations of Demophilus not to be a sacred hymne or Pæan, but a Scolion or Festivall Song.

   • 1776, Burney, Hist. Mus., volume I, page 467:

     In the following Scolium, Timocreon gives his opinion of riches.

   • 1850, Mure, Lit. Greece, volume III, page 101:

     The celebrated scolion, or series of scolia, addressed to Harmodius and Aristogiton.

   • 1874, Mahaffy, Soc. Life Greece, chapter x, page 296:

     I mean the Scolia, when one guest commenced a sentence in verse, and handed a branch to any other he chose, who was compelled to finish the verse in the cleverest way he could.

Usage notes

• Not to be confused with scholion.

Related terms

• scoliograptic
• scoliosis

Translations

song sung in turn by symposiasts

Ancient Greek: σκόλῐον n (skólĭon) Dutch: skolion n Finnish: skolion French: scolie (fr) f German: Skolion n Greek: σκόλιο n (skólio) Italian: scolio m Polish: skolion (pl) m inan Portuguese: escólio (pt) m Spanish: escolión m Turkish: skolion

See also

• renga

Further reading

• Skolion on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• James A. H. Murray et al., editors (1884–1928), “Scolion”, in A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (Oxford English Dictionary), volume VIII, Part 2 (S–Sh), London: Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 232, columns 1–2.

Anagrams

• Consoli, cloison, solonic