monody

[ mon-uh-dee ]

/ ˈmɒn ə di /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR monody ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural mon·o·dies.

a Greek ode sung by a single voice, as in a tragedy; lament.

a poem in which the poet or speaker laments another's death; threnody.

Music.

a style of composition in which one part or melody predominates; homophony, as distinguished from polyphony.
a piece in this style.
monophony(def 1).

Nearby words

monodiplopia, monodisperse, monodomous, monodont, monodrama, monody, monoecious, monoester, monoestrous, monofilament, monogametic

Origin of monody

1580–90; < Late Latin monōdia < Greek monōidía a solo, monody, equivalent to monōid(ós) singing alone (see mon-, ode) + -ia -y³

Related forms

mon·o·dist

[mon-uh-dist] /ˈmɒn ə dɪst/, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for monody

First attempts in the Recitative style, in the melodious song for a single voice (Monody) and in the Concertante style.
Musical Myths and Facts, Volume II (of 2)|Carl Engel
He is chiefly remembered by his Monody on the death of his wife.
A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature|John W. Cousin
In 1797 lines 5-10 were restored to the Man of Ross and omitted from the Monody.
The Complete Poetical Works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge|Samuel Taylor Coleridge
To censure it in a Monody or Sonnet is almost as absurd as to dislike a circle for being round.
The Complete Poetical Works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge|Samuel Taylor Coleridge

The Monody on his wife's death has the merit of sincere feeling, expressed in one or two passages poetically.
The Age of Pope|John Dennis

British Dictionary definitions for monody

monody

/ (ˈmɒnədɪ) /

noun plural -dies

(in Greek tragedy) an ode sung by a single actor

any poem of lament for someone's death

music a style of composition consisting of a single vocal part, usually with accompaniment

Derived Forms

monodic (mɒˈnɒdɪk) or monodical, adjectivemonodically, adverbmonodist, noun

Word Origin for monody

C17: via Late Latin from Greek monōidia, from mono- + aeidein 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