What does melody mean?
Melody is a noun for a sequence of organized notes and rhythms that forms a tune. In ordinary use, it refers to the part of a song or composition that carries the recognizable melodic line, although it can also mean any coherent succession of musical pitches. The word frequently suggests beauty, grace, memorability, or emotional expressiveness, but a melody may equally be lively, mournful, playful, or unsettling. Melodies are often distinguished from harmony, accompaniment, and rhythm, although the categories overlap in actual music. Figuratively, writers use melody for the rhythmic flow of speech, the sound of birdsong, or the musical quality of bells, machinery, and other noises. The word comes through French and Latin from Greek melōidia, itself formed from melos, meaning “song.” Melody is therefore valuable not only as a precise musical term but also as a way of describing patterns of sound that are orderly, expressive, and memorable.
nounA sequence of notes arranged in a recognizable and usually pleasing musical pattern. In figurative use, it can refer to the rhythm or musical quality of speech, writing, or natural sound.
- A sequence of musical notes and rhythms that forms a recognizable tune.
- The rhythmic or musical quality of speech, writing, or natural sounds.
"The old song returned to her in fragments, each melody bringing back a forgotten moment."
"The melody drifted through the open windows and across the quiet street."
"There was a distinct melody in the birdsong and the distant chime of the church bells."
Use “melodies” for multiple tunes or melodic passages.
"The album contains twelve melodies that blend traditional instruments with electronic sounds."
The name melody literally grew from the Greek word melos, meaning “song” — a fitting ancestry for a word so closely tied to music.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does melody come from?
The word entered Middle English as melodie through Old French melodie, which was borrowed from Medieval Latin melodia. Latin melodia came from Greek melōidia, a word associated with melos, “song,” from melein, “to sing.” The same Greek element appears in terms such as melodic and melodrama.
Related word forms
How melody is actually used
“Melody” is countable and commonly used with “a” and “in.” Its figurative use is especially natural in literary and descriptive contexts, where language, birdsong, or machinery may be said to have a melody.
Easily confused with melody
A melody is a musical sequence or tune, whereas melodic is an adjective describing something connected with melody or having a pleasing musical sound.