Meaning

noun a wildly enthusiastic speech or piece of writing

noun (ancient Greece) a passionate hymn (usually in honor of Dionysus)

originFrom Latin dithyrambus, from Ancient Greek δῑθύραμβος (dīthúrambos). According to the American Heritage Dictionary, it is of non-Indo-European origin (Pre-Greek substrate, Illyrian/Phrygian), related to θρίαμβος (thríambos) and ἴαμβος (íambos). Brandenstein also compares Sanskrit अङ्ग (aṅga, “member”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0