melody

¹

[mel-uh-dee]

noun

plural

melodies 

1. musical sounds in agreeable succession or arrangement.

2. Music.

   1. the succession of single tones in musical compositions, as distinguished from harmony and rhythm.

   2. the principal part in a harmonic composition; the air.

   3. a rhythmical succession of single tones producing a distinct musical phrase or idea.

   Synonyms: theme, descant, song, tune

3. a poem suitable for singing.

4. intonation, as of a segment of connected speech.

Melody

²

[mel-uh-dee]

noun

1. a female given name.

melody

/ ˈmɛlədɪ /

noun

1. music

   1. a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence; tune

   2. the horizontally represented aspect of the structure of a piece of music Compare harmony

2. sounds that are pleasant because of tone or arrangement, esp words of poetry

Other Word Forms

• melodyless adjective
• undermelody noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of melody¹

1250–1300; Middle English melodie from Medieval Latin melōdia from Greek melōidía “(choral) singing,” equivalent to mel- ( melic ) + -ōid- ( ode ) + -ia -y ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of melody¹

C13: from Old French, from Late Latin melōdia, from Greek melōidia singing, from melos song + -ōidia, from aoidein to sing

Synonym Study

See harmony.

Example Sentences

But it’s consistently appealing, underpinned by fluent Broadway pop-rock melodies that, importantly, never overwhelm the lyrics, which are trenchant and clever.

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The opening “Waiting Around” is a solid distillation of his strengths, with attractive seesaw chords and a melody that lingers slightly behind the beat, conveying the uncertainty and contemplation of the lyrics.

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This time against the big moments of melody that Brahms assigns violin and cello, LACO’s principal violist, Yura Lee, dramatically revealed how bits of Brahms’ messy soul also found its voice in the viola.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

As I listened, it dawned on me that the melody was “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” a subtle but welcome jab at an overheated homily.

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“She said, ‘Well, how can we harmonize if you keep changing the melody?’

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Related Words

• chant 
• lyric 
• music 
• refrain 
• theme