musical sounds in agreeable succession or arrangement.
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.
a poem suitable for singing.
intonation, as of a segment of connected speech.
music
a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence; tune
the horizontally represented aspect of the structure of a piece of music Compare harmony
sounds that are pleasant because of tone or arrangement, esp words of poetry
See harmony.
1250–1300; Middle English melodie from Medieval Latin melōdia from Greek melōidía “(choral) singing,” equivalent to mel- ( see melic) + -ōid- ( see ode) + -ia -y 3
In any musical composition, there is a dominant line that creates a tone pattern known as the piece's melody. There are specific rules for the musical composition of a melody, and most fall into regular patterns. The ancient Greek word melōidía was used to denote a tune for lyric poetry. It was derived from melos, which meant "song." In most songs, the melody follows a logical, mathematical pattern that creates a memorable line of notes. The word suggests a beautiful and pleasant sound, as was celebrated in the 1946 Irving Berlin lyrics, "A pretty girl is like a melody that haunts you night and day."
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Melody Xu is a rising senior at Northwestern University, where she’s studying journalism and serving as managing editor of the Daily Northwestern.
From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026
He also formed the Casual Club Quintet, earning an honourable mention in Melody Maker, one of Britain's most influential music weeklies.
From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026
Abby Mayers and her wife Melody, both 22, live in Cheshire and usually walk their cat Olive in Erddig, Wrexham and Llangollen, Denbighshire.
From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026
Soon I worked as a backstage assistant at the Cape Cod Melody Tent and danced in the chorus.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026
“Well, Melody is, well, you know, really special,” Dad said hesitantly.
From "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
