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

Cleverly, the understated production never distracts from the lyrics, with ringing piano chords and gossamer strings that tesselate seamlessly with Burns' soulful melodies.

Read more on BBC

In the lawsuit, Udio was accused of using hits like The Temptations’ “My Girl,” to create a similar melody called “Sunshine Melody.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

And there are those who just hum a few bars and allow the musicians to intuit the key and melody enough to follow along.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Critics had called them a "game-changer" as their blend of 1990s R&B and sugar-coated pop melodies broke through a K-pop scene dominated by electronic beats.

Read more on BBC

Two pianists weave together brief musical statements—crawling, low-end figures; chiming high notes; staggered phrases; wisps of possible melodies.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• chant 
• lyric 
• music 
• refrain 
• theme