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Origin and history of drama

drama(n.)

1510s, "a composition presenting in dialogue a course of human action, the description of a story converted into the action of a play," from Late Latin drama "play, drama," from Greek drama (genitive dramatos) "action, deed; play, spectacle," from drāo "to do, make, act, perform" (especially some great deed, whether good or bad), which is of uncertain etymology.

Meaning "theatrical literature generally, drama as art" is from 1660s. Extended sense of "sequence of events or actions leading up to a climax" is by 1714. Drama queen "person who habitually responds to situations in a melodramatic way" is attested by 1992.

also from 1510s

Entries linking to drama

docudrama(n.)

"television drama based on real events," by 1957, American English, from documentary + drama. The first so-called appears to have been written as a stage play, "We Call to Mind," a "dramatic presentation of the development of education and its significance in American life," written by Philip C. Lewis and produced by the Tenafly, New Jersey, Citizens Education Council and the Tenafly Drama Workshop after the defeat of a school budget.

dramatic(adj.)

1580s, "of or pertaining to acted drama," from Late Latin dramaticus, from Greek dramatikos "pertaining to plays," from drama (genitive dramatos; see drama). Meaning "full of action and striking display, characterized by force and animation in action or expression, fit for a drama" is from 1725. Dramatic irony, "irony inherent in a drama and understood by the audience but not grasped by the characters in the play," is recorded from 1907. Related: Dramatical; dramatically.

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melodrama
1784 (1782 as melo drame), "a dramatic composition in which music is used," from French mélodrame (1772), from Greek melos "song" (see melody) + French drame "drama" (see drama). In early 19th century use, a stage-play (usually romantic and sentimental in plot and incident) in w
play
Middle English pleien, from Old English plegan, plegian "move lightly and quickly, occupy or busy oneself, amuse oneself; engage in active exercise; frolic; engage in children's play; make sport of, mock; perform music." It is from Proto-West Germanic *plegōjanan "occupy oneself
protagonist
1670s, "principal character in a story, drama, etc.," from Greek prōtagōnistēs "actor who plays the chief or first part,"...Deuteragonist "second person or actor in a drama" is attested from 1840....
heroine
The sense of "principal female character in a drama, poem, etc." is from 1715....
monologue
1660s, "long speech by one person, scene in a drama in which a person speaks by himself," from French monologue, from Late...
leitmotif
A term associated with Wagnerian musical drama, though the thing itself is at least as old as Mozart....
broadcasting
It may be defined as the systematic diffusion, by radio telephony, of music, lectures, drama, humour, news and information...
episode
1670s, "commentary between two choric songs in a Greek tragedy," also "an incidental narrative or digression within a story, poem, etc.," from French épisode or directly from Greek epeisodion "an episode," literally "an addition," noun use of neuter of epeisodios "coming in besid
genre
1770, "particular style of art," a French word in English (nativized from c. 1840), from French genre "kind, sort, style" (see gender (n.)). Used especially in French for "independent style." In painting, as an adjective, "depicting scenes of ordinary life" (a domestic interior o
green
Old English grene, Northumbrian groene "green, of the color of living plants," in reference to plants, "growing, living, vigorous," also figurative, of a plant, "freshly cut," of wood, "unseasoned" earlier groeni, from Proto-Germanic *grōni- (source also of Old Saxon grani, Old F

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