melody

B2 Topic:Music Theory

US /ˈmɛl.ə.di/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like malady /ɛ/ vs /æ/

Freq #5988

Meanings

1

noun
A sequence of musical notes that forms a tune.

She hummed a cheerful melody as she walked.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a sequence of musical notes... tune air

Word family

Forms melodicmelodies

Related forms melodie

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

sad melody
a tune that expresses sorrow or makes listeners feel unhappy

Adjective + noun

Simplified etymology

Melody ultimately comes from Greek melos, meaning “song.”

Etymology

From Middle English melodie, melodye, from Old French melodie, from Latin melodia, from Ancient Greek μελῳδίᾱ (melōidíā, “singing, chanting”), from μέλος (mélos, “musical phrase”) + ἀοιδή (aoidḗ, “song”), contracted form ᾠδή (ōidḗ).

melodie Middle English melodia Latin μελῳδίᾱ Ancient Greek

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Music Theory Art & Music

External links

# melody

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈmɛl.ə.di/
**Frequency rank:** 5988

## Meanings
1. A sequence of musical notes that forms a tune.

## Examples
- She hummed a cheerful melody as she walked.

## Related Forms
- melodie

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: melodie
- Root: melodia
- Root: μελῳδίᾱ

## Etymology
From Middle English melodie, melodye, from Old French melodie, from Latin melodia, from Ancient Greek μελῳδίᾱ (melōidíā, “singing, chanting”), from μέλος (mélos, “musical phrase”) + ἀοιδή (aoidḗ, “song”), contracted form ᾠδή (ōidḗ).

## AI Etymology
Melody comes from Middle English melodie, melodye, from Old French melodie, from Latin melodia, from Ancient Greek μελῳδίᾱ (melōidíā, “singing, chanting”), from μέλος (mélos, “musical phrase”) + ἀοιδή (aoidḗ, “song”), contracted form ᾠδή (ōidḗ). In present-day English it covers a sequence of musical notes that forms a tune. The historical chain runs through melodie (Middle English), melodie (Old French), melodia (Latin), and μελῳδίᾱ (Ancient Greek). Related and derived forms include melodie.

## Topics
- Music Theory
- Art & Music

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