mel ‧ o ‧ dy /ˈmelədi/ BrE AmE noun ( plural melodies )
[ Date: 1100-1200 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: melodie , from Late Latin , from Greek meloidia 'music' , from melos 'arm or leg, musical phrase, song' + aeidein 'to sing' ]
1 . [countable] a song or tune:
They played some lovely melodies.
a haunting melody
2 . [uncountable] the arrangement of musical notes in a way that is pleasant
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COLLOCATIONS
■ adjectives
▪ a sweet/pretty/lovely melody (=pleasant)
The pianist played a sweet melody.
▪ a good/strong melody
It’s hard to find rules about what makes a good melody.
▪ a simple melody
I like songs with a simple melody.
▪ a catchy melody (=one that is easy to remember)
With their catchy melodies, the songs are likely to be hits.
▪ a haunting melody (=used about a beautiful melody, especially one that is rather sad and which you remember for a long time)
He began to play a soulful, haunting melody.
▪ a plaintive melody (=sad)
The song's plaintive melody expresses perfectly the feeling of loneliness that she feels after her lover has gone.
▪ a lilting melody (=rising and falling in a pleasant way)
Lennon’s voice enters with a gently lilting melody.
▪ a pop melody (=one that is typical of a pop song)
The album’s perfect pop melodies make it probably the best record this year.
■ verbs
▪ have a melody
All his songs have good melodies.
▪ play a melody
At this point, the flute begins to play the melody.
▪ sing a melody
She sang the melodies as though she loved them.
▪ carry the melody (=play or sing the melody, while other voices or instruments play other notes)
The soprano voice carries the melody.
■ melody + NOUN
▪ the melody line (=the melody, compared to the other parts of the music)
The melody line is often set too high for people singing in church.