thespian

C2+ Topic:Art & Music

US /ˈθɛspiən/ UK /ˈθɛspiən/ See IPA manual

noun adj

Meanings

1

noun
an actor or actress; relating to drama and the theatre

The veteran thespian commanded the stage with a single glance.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · an actor or actress;... actor actress performer playertrouper

Word family

Related forms theatre theatrical

Etymology

From Thespis, the semi-legendary 6th-century BC Greek poet credited as the first actor in Greek tragedy; his name yielded the adjective and noun for actor.

Thespis Ancient Greek

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Art & Music Word Formation & Derivatives

# thespian

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun, adj
**IPA (US):** ˈθɛspiən
**IPA (UK):** ˈθɛspiən

## Meanings
1. an actor or actress; relating to drama and the theatre

## Examples
- The veteran thespian commanded the stage with a single glance.

## Synonyms
- actor
- actress
- performer
- player
- trouper

## Related Forms
- theatre
- theatrical

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: Thespis

## Etymology
From Thespis, the semi-legendary 6th-century BC Greek poet credited as the first actor in Greek tragedy; his name yielded the adjective and noun for actor.

## AI Etymology
Thespian comes from Thespis, the semi-legendary 6th-century BC Greek poet credited as the first actor in Greek tragedy; his name yielded the adjective and noun for actor. The form preserves a compact historical development in which the older wording and the present sense remain closely connected. As a noun and adjective, it denotes "an actor or actress; relating to drama and the theatre", keeping the historical idea close to its dictionary sense. Relevant historical forms include Ancient Greek Thespis. Related words include theatre, theatrical.

## Topics
- Art & Music
- Word Formation & Derivatives

markdown

thespian

Meanings

Thesaurus

Etymology

Topics

Keyboard Shortcuts

General

Send feedback