music
/ˈmjuːzɪk/
noun
Origin
Ancient Greek
mousikē — art of the Muses
Overview
Meaning Now
- The art of combining vocal or instrumental sounds to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion.
- The scores or recordings of such sounds.
Literal older meaning
art of the Muses
Language path
Ancient Greek → Latin → Old French → English
Earliest form
musike
Earliest period
13th century
Journey
The term derives from the Greek Muses, the goddesses of inspiration for literature, science, and the arts. In classical antiquity, 'mousike' was a broad term encompassing not just melody and rhythm, but also lyric poetry and dance, as all were considered manifestations of the Muses' influence.
Evolution
- Ancient Greek
mousikē tekhnē
“any art presided over by the Muses”
Original sense included poetry and dance.
- Latin
musica
“music; the quadrivium discipline of music”
- Old French
musique
“music”
- Middle English
musike
“music”
Connections
Word parts
music
root
art of the Muses
Related across languages
French
musique
music
German
Musik
music
Spanish
música
music
Explore next
Related to music
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.