Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Rhapsody \Rhap"so*dy\, n.; pl. {Rhapsodies}. [F. rhapsodie, L.
   rhapsodia, Gr. "rapsw,di`a, fr. "rapsw,do`s a rhapsodist;
   "ra`ptein to sew, stitch together, unite + 'w,dh` a song. See
   {Ode}.]
   1. A recitation or song of a rhapsodist; a portion of an epic
      poem adapted for recitation, or usually recited, at one
      time; hence, a division of the Iliad or the Odyssey; --
      called also a {book}.

   2. A disconnected series of sentences or statements composed
      under excitement, and without dependence or natural
      connection; rambling composition. ``A rhapsody of words.''
      --Shak. ``A rhapsody of tales.'' --Locke.

   3. (Mus.) A composition irregular in form, like an
      improvisation; as, Liszt's ``Hungarian Rhapsodies.''