a comedy, Ar., etc.:—Two derivs. are suggested: one from κῶμος, ᾠδή, the revel-song; the other from κώμη, ᾠδή, the village-song. There were three periods of Attic Comedy, Old, Middle, New, — παλαιά, μέση, νέα. The Old Comedy was used to attack by name the most powerful persons of the day, ending B. C. 393; the Middle Comedy lost the chorus, but still attacked notabilities under assumed characters, ending B. C. 337; the New was our Comedy of Manners, and may be best understood from Plautus and Terence.
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