[rhythm] n [MF & L; MF rhythme, fr. L rhythmus, fr. Gk rhythmos, prob. fr. rhein to flow--more at stream] (1560) 1 a: an ordered recurrent alternation of strong and weak elements in the flow of sound and silence in speech b: a particular example or form of rhythm "iambic ~"
2. a: the aspect of music comprising all the elements (as accent, meter, and tempo) that relate to forward movement b: a characteristic rhythmic pattern "rumba ~"; also: [1]meter
2. c: the group of instruments in a band supplying the rhythm--called also rhythm section 3 a: movement or fluctuation marked by the regular recurrence or natural flow of related elements b: the repetition in a literary work of phrase, incident, character type, or symbol
4: a regularly recurrent quantitative change in a variable biological process "a circadian ~"--compare biorhythm
5: the effect created by the elements in a play, movie, or novel that relate to the temporal development of the action
6: rhythm method