Lydian

[ lid-ee-uhn ]

/ ˈlɪd i ən /

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adjective

of or relating to Lydia.

(of music) softly or sensuously sweet; voluptuous.

noun

an inhabitant of Lydia.

an Anatolian language of Lydia, written in a modified Greek alphabet.

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Origin of Lydian

First recorded in 1535–45; Lydi(a) + -an

Words nearby Lydian

Lycurgus, Lydda, lyddite, Lydgate, Lydia, Lydian, Lydian mode, lye, lyefish, lye hominy, Lyell

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Lydian in a sentence

The epithet oxyphnos is worth notice in connexion with other evidence of the high pitch of the music known as Lydian.
The Modes of Ancient Greek Music|David Binning Monro
On the contrary (the writer adds) the passive attitude is especially expressed by the Mixo-lydian.
The Modes of Ancient Greek Music|David Binning Monro
The exception is the Mixo-lydian, which some ranked immediately below the Dorian, others above the Lydian.
The Modes of Ancient Greek Music|David Binning Monro
Such an octave may or may not be in the Mixo-lydian key: it is certainly of the Mixo-lydian species (p. 57).
The Modes of Ancient Greek Music|David Binning Monro

And Aristoxenus says that Sappho was the inventor of the Mixo-lydian, and that from her the tragic poets learned it.
The Modes of Ancient Greek Music|David Binning Monro

British Dictionary definitions for Lydian

Lydian

/ (ˈlɪdɪən) /

adjective

of or relating to ancient Lydia, its inhabitants, or their language

music of or relating to an authentic mode represented by the ascending natural diatonic scale from F to FSee also Hypo- Compare Hypolydian

noun

an inhabitant of Lydia

the extinct language of the Lydians, thought to belong to the Anatolian group or family

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012