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monody

[ mon-uh-dee ]
/ ˈmɒn ə di /
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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.
  1. a style of composition in which one part or melody predominates; homophony, as distinguished from polyphony.
  2. a piece in this style.
  3. monophony(def 1).

RELATED WORDS

hymn, elegy, ceremony, ritual, chant, eulogy, dirge, liturgy, threnody, psalm, worship, sermon, canticle, cry, march, requiem, lament, jeremiad, keen, coronach

Nearby words

  1. monodist,
  2. monodomous,
  3. monodont,
  4. monodrama,
  5. monodramatic,
  6. monoecious,
  7. monoeciously,
  8. monoester,
  9. monoestrous,
  10. monofil

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 formsmon·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

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 Formsmonodic (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