melody

[ mel-uh-dee ]
See synonyms for melody on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural mel·o·dies.
  1. musical sounds in agreeable succession or arrangement.

  2. Music.

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

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

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

  1. a poem suitable for singing.

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

Origin of melody

1
1250–1300; Middle English melodie from Medieval Latin melōdia from Greek melōidía “(choral) singing,” equivalent to mel- (see melic) + -ōid- (see ode) + -ia -y3

synonym study For melody

1. See harmony.

Other words for melody

Other words from melody

  • mel·o·dy·less, adjective
  • un·der·mel·o·dy, noun, plural un·der·mel·o·dies.

Words that may be confused with melody

Words Nearby melody

Other definitions for Melody (2 of 2)

Melody
[ mel-uh-dee ]

noun
  1. a female given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use melody in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for melody

melody

/ (ˈmɛlədɪ) /


nounplural -dies
  1. music

    • a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence; tune

    • the horizontally represented aspect of the structure of a piece of music: Compare harmony (def. 4b)

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

Origin of melody

1
C13: from Old French, from Late Latin melōdia, from Greek melōidia singing, from melos song + -ōidia, from aoidein to sing

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