Plural of choragus; wealthy Athenian citizens who paid for and led the training of dramatic choruses in ancient theatrical competitions.
From Greek 'choragos,' from 'choros' (chorus) + 'agein' (to lead), literally 'chorus-leader,' transferred to the wealthy sponsors.
Being a choragus was like being a Broadway producer in ancient Athens—you paid enormous sums to train and costuming a chorus, and your name was literally announced before the performance, so it was advertisement and art patronage combined.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.