rhythm

[ rith-uhm ]
/ ˈrɪð əm /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR rhythm ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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Origin of rhythm

1550–60; < Latin rhythmus < Greek rhythmós; compare rheîn to flow

OTHER WORDS FROM rhythm

rhythm·less, adjectivenon·rhythm, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH rhythm

rhyme rhythm

Words nearby rhythm

rhyming slang, rhynchocephalian, rhynchophore, rhyolite, rhys, rhythm, rhythm and blues, rhythm band, rhythm method, rhythm section, rhythm stick
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to rhythm

pattern, tempo, flow, pulse, swing, cadence, movement, cadency, uniformity, downbeat, rhyme, measure, meter, lilt, regularity, bounce, time, periodicity, metre

Example sentences from the Web for rhythm

British Dictionary definitions for rhythm

rhythm
/ (ˈrɪðəm) /

noun

  1. the arrangement of the relative durations of and accents on the notes of a melody, usually laid out into regular groups (bars) of beats, the first beat of each bar carrying the stress
  2. any specific arrangement of such groupings; timequadruple rhythm
(in poetry)
  1. the arrangement of words into a more or less regular sequence of stressed and unstressed or long and short syllables
  2. any specific such arrangement; metre
(in painting, sculpture, architecture, etc) a harmonious sequence or pattern of masses alternating with voids, of light alternating with shade, of alternating colours, etc
any sequence of regularly recurring functions or events, such as the regular recurrence of certain physiological functions of the body, as the cardiac rhythm of the heartbeat

Derived forms of rhythm

rhythmless, adjective

Word Origin for rhythm

C16: from Latin rhythmus, from Greek rhuthmos; related to rhein to flow
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

Medical definitions for rhythm

rhythm
[ rĭð′əm ]

n.

Movement or variation characterized by the regular recurrence or alternation of different quantities or conditions, as in the heartbeat.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Cultural definitions for rhythm

rhythm

The “beat” of music; the regular pattern of long and short notes. Certain kinds of music, such as blues or marches, have a very characteristic rhythm. Rhythm, harmony, and melody are elements of music.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.