Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

coryphaeus

/ˌkɔɹəˈfiːəs/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables
coryphaeus
IPA
/ˌkɔɹəˈfiːəs/
20
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
1
Syllables
10
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The conductor or leader of the chorus of a drama.

noun

The chief or leader of an interest or party.

noun

The leader of an opera chorus or another ensemble of singers.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin coryphaeus, from Ancient Greek κορυφαῖος (koruphaîos, “leader of the chorus in an Ancient Greek drama”), from κορυφή (koruphḗ, “top of the head, crown”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱerh₂- (“head, top; horn”)) + -ῐος (-ĭos, suffix forming adjectives meaning ‘belonging to, pertaining to’).

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *ḱerh₂-, coryphaeus, κορυφαῖος

Inflected Forms

coryphaeuses (plural) coryphaei (plural) coryphæus (alternative) corypheus (alternative) koryphaios (alternative)

Synonyms

Questions

How do you pronounce coryphaeus?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˌkɔɹəˈfiːəs/.
What does coryphaeus mean?
The conductor or leader of the chorus of a drama.
Where does coryphaeus come from?
It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce coryphaeus

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “coryphaeus”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌkɔɹəˈfiːəs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “coryphaeus”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “coryphaeus” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.