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Definition of 'melisma'

Word Frequency

melisma in British

(mɪˈlɪzmə )
noun plural -mata (-mətə) or -mas
music
an expressive vocal phrase or passage consisting of several notes sung to one syllable
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
melismatic (ˌmɛlɪzˈmætɪk )
  adjective
Word origin of 'melisma'
C19: from Greek: melody
Word Frequency

melisma in American

(məˈlɪzmə ; məlizˈmə)
nounWord forms: plural meˈlismata (məˈlɪzmətə ; məlizˈmətə) or meˈlismas
a succession of different notes sung upon a single syllable, as orig. in plainsong or, now especially, in the ornamental phrases of Near Eastern and Asian music
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
melismatic (ˌmelisˈmatic) (ˌmɛlɪzˈmætɪk ; melˌizmatˈik)
  adjective
Word origin of 'melisma'
Gr, song < melizein, to sing, modulate < melos, song: see melic

Trends of 'melisma'

Used Rarely. melisma is in the lower 50% of commonly used words in the Collins dictionary

View usage for:

Nearby words of 'melisma'

  • meliorism
  • meliority
  • meliphagous
  • melisma
  • melismata
  • Melissa
  • Melitopol

  • All ENGLISH words that begin with 'M'

Source

Definition of melisma from the Collins English Dictionary

Reflexive pronouns

Reflexive pronouns are used: person singular plural 1st 2nd 3rd masculine 3rd feminine 3rd neuter General myself yourself himself herself itself oneself ourselves yourselves themselves th...
Read more about 'Reflexive pronouns'
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Scrabble score for 'melisma': 11
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