tragicadj.n.

Etymology: < (i) Middle French, French tragique (adjective) of, relating to, or of the nature of tragedy in drama or literature (a1374), (of an author) that composes tragedies (a1383; the use in sense ‘catastrophic, disastrous, devastating’ is not paralleled until later than in English: 1569), (noun) writer of tragedies (1550), that which is tragic (although this is first attested slightly later than in English: 1679), and its etymon (ii) classical Latin tragicus of or belonging to tragedy, represented in tragedy, suitable to tragedy, tragic in style < ancient Greek τραγικός of or for tragedy, stately, majestic, in Hellenistic Greek also pompous, apparently < τράγος he-goat (see tragus n.) + -ικός -ic suffix, after τραγῳδία tragedy n. Compare Catalan tràgic (15th cent.), Spanish trágico (a1428 as noun in sense ‘writer of tragedies’, 1440 as adjective), Portuguese trágico (a1595), Italian tragico (1516, earliest in sense A. 1a), adjectives. Compare earlier tragical adj.With the use as noun compare classical Latin tragicus (masculine) tragic actor, tragic poet, ancient Greek τραγικός (masculine) tragic poet, τραγική (feminine) serious poetry, Middle French tragique tragic dramatist (1579 in the passage translated in quot. 1594 at sense B. 1b), and also tragical n.