ˈtrædʒɪdɪ n. (pl. -ies) 1 a
serious accident,
crime, or
natural catastrophe. 2 a
sad event; a
calamity (the team's
defeat is a tragedy). 3 a a
play in
verse or
prose dealing
with tragic events
and with an
unhappy ending,
esp.
concerning the downfall of the
protagonist. b tragic plays as a
genre (cf. COMEDY). [ME f. OF tragedie f. L tragoedia f. Gk tragoidia app. goat-song f. tragos
goat + oide song]