melody

musical sounds; harmony; tune; song

Not to be confused with:

malady – illness; affliction; complaint: He had a chronic malady that sapped all of his energy.; any undesirable or disordered condition: a social malady

mel·o·dy

(mĕl′ə-dē)

n. pl. mel·o·dies

1. A pleasing succession or arrangement of sounds.

2. Musical quality: the melody of verse.

3. Music

a. A rhythmically organized sequence of single tones so related to one another as to make up a particular phrase or idea.

b. Structure with respect to the arrangement of single notes in succession.

c. The leading part or the air in a composition with accompaniment.

4. A poem suitable for setting to music or singing.

[Middle English melodie, from Old French, from Late Latin melōdia, from Greek melōidiā, singing, choral song : melos, tune + aoidē, song; see wed- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

melody

(ˈmɛlədɪ)

n, pl -dies

1. (Music, other) music

a. a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence; tune

b. the horizontally represented aspect of the structure of a piece of music. Compare harmony^4b

2. sounds that are pleasant because of tone or arrangement, esp words of poetry

[C13: from Old French, from Late Latin melōdia, from Greek melōidia singing, from melos song + -ōidia, from aoidein to sing]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

mel•o•dy

(ˈmɛl ə di)

n., pl. -dies.

1. musical sounds in agreeable succession or arrangement.

2. a rhythmical succession of musical tones organized as a distinct phrase or sequence of phrases.

[1250–1300; Middle English melodie < Medieval Latin melōdia < Greek melōidía (choral) singing =mel- (see melic) + -ōid- (see ode) + -ia -y³]

mel′o•dy•less, adj.

melody

grace note - An extra note for embellishment, not necessary for the harmony or melody.
absolute music, abstract music, pure music - Absolute music (abstract music, pure music) is music for its own sake—concerned only with structure, melody, harmony, and rhythm.
air - An expressive succession of musical sounds—a melody or tune.
melody - From Greek melos, "song," its early sense was "sweet music."

Melody

of harpers: harpists collectively—Bk. of St. Albans, 1486.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	melody - a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence; "she was humming an air from Beethoven" melodic line, melodic phrase, tune, strain, air, line tucket, fanfare, flourish - (music) a short lively tune played on brass instruments; "he entered to a flourish of trumpets"; "her arrival was greeted with a rousing fanfare" glissando - a rapid series of ascending or descending notes on the musical scale roulade - (music) an elaborate run of several notes sung to one syllable music - an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner leitmotif, leitmotiv - a melodic phrase that accompanies the reappearance of a person or situation (as in Wagner's operas) theme song - a melody that recurs and comes to represent a musical play or movie signature tune, theme song, signature - a melody used to identify a performer or a dance band or radio/tv program melodic theme, musical theme, theme, idea - (music) melodic subject of a musical composition; "the theme is announced in the first measures"; "the accompanist picked up the idea and elaborated it" part, voice - the melody carried by a particular voice or instrument in polyphonic music; "he tried to sing the tenor part" musical phrase, phrase - a short musical passage
	2.	melody - the perception of pleasant arrangements of musical notes tonal pattern musical perception - the auditory perception of musical sounds

melody

noun

1. tune, song, theme, refrain, air, music, strain, descant, MLOD (S.M.S.) an easy melody with a frenetic beat

2. tunefulness, music, harmony, musicality, euphony, melodiousness, MLOD (S.M.S.) Her voice was full of melody.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

melody

noun

A pleasing succession of musical tones forming a usually brief aesthetic unit:

air, aria, strain, tune.

Obsolete: note.

Translations

اللحْن الرَّئيسيلـَحْنٌنَغَم

мелодия

melodie

melodihovedstemme

Melodie Melodiestimme

μελωδία

melodio

melodía

melodiasävel

mélodie

melodija

melódiadallam

laglaglína

melodia melodico melodiosamente melodioso

メロディー旋律歌曲調べ

멜로디

melodia

melodingaimelodingasmelodingumas

melodijamelodija, tēma

melodija

melodijaмелодија

melodi

เสียงดนตรี

melodi şarkı ezgi

giai điệu

旋律曲调主调

melody

[ˈmelədɪ] N → melodía f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

melody

[ˈmɛlədi] n (= tune) → mélodie f

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

melody

n → Melodie f; (fig: of poetry etc) → Melodik f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

melody

[ˈmɛlədɪ] n → melodia

melody

(ˈmelədi) – plural ˈmelodies – noun

1. a tune. He played Irish melodies on the harp.

2. the principal part in a piece of harmonized music. The sopranos sang the melody, and the other voices added the harmony.

meˈlodic (-ˈlo-) adjective

of melody. a melodic style.

meˈlodious (ˈlou-) adjective

pleasing to the ear; tuneful. melodious tunes.

meˈlodiously adverb

meˈlodiousness noun

melody

→ لـَحْنٌ melodie melodi Melodie μελωδία melodía melodia mélodie melodija melodia メロディー 멜로디 melodie melodi melodia melodia мелодия melodi เสียงดนตรี melodi giai điệu 旋律

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

At any rate you can tell that a song or ode has three parts-- the words, the melody, and the rhythm; that degree of knowledge I may presuppose?

And the melody and rhythm will depend upon the words?

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Petya was as musical as Natasha and more so than Nicholas, but had never learned music or thought about it, and so the melody that unexpectedly came to his mind seemed to him particularly fresh and attractive.

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Charlotte Henly, of course, was of the party, although she was absolutely ignorant of a single note, nor knew how to praise a scientific execution, or to manifest disgust at simple melody. But, her importance in the world of fashion, and her friend Maria, obtained her a place.

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Now they followed each other singly; now, at a change in the melody, they walked two and two; and, now again, they separated into divisions of three each, and circled round the chair in opposite directions.

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Only at evening, as he returns from the chase, he sounds his note, playing sweet and low on his pipes of reed: not even she could excel him in melody -- that bird who in flower-laden spring pouring forth her lament utters honey-voiced song amid the leaves.

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Every night, before retiring, the inmates of the house gathered together on the mats, and so squatting upon their haunches, after the universal practice of these islanders, would commence a low, dismal and monotonous chant, accompanying the voice with the instrumental melody produced by two small half-rotten sticks tapped slowly together, a pair of which were held in the hands of each person present.

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As he spoke the musicians, who had arranged themselves in a corner, struck up a dance melody while into the room pranced the Whiskered Friskers.

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Little bells were hung all round it; and when the pot was boiling, these bells tinkled in the most charming manner, and played the old melody,

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Now, as all music consists in melody and rhythm, we ought not to be unacquainted with the power which each of these has in education; and whether we should rather choose music in which melody prevails, or rhythm: but when I consider how many things have been well written upon these subjects, not only by some musicians of the present age, but also by some philosophers who are perfectly skilled in that part of music which belongs to education; we will refer those who desire a very particular knowledge therein to those writers, and shall only treat of it in general terms, without descending to particulars.

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The men gathered round him, as he began to play `My Old Kentucky Home.' They sang one Negro melody after another, while the mulatto sat rocking himself, his head thrown back, his yellow face lifted, his shrivelled eyelids never fluttering.

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The cradle-rocking and the song would cease simultaneously for a moment, and an explanation at highest vocal pitch would take the place of the melody.

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