English

music

/ˈmjuːzɪk/
A series of sounds organized in time, usually employing some combination of harmony, melody, rhythm, tempo, timbre, sound design, lyrics, etc., often to convey a mood.

    Etymology graph

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    • meaning component
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    Origin

    From Middle English musik, musike, borrowed from Anglo-Norman musik, musike, Old French musique, and their source Latin mūsica, from Ancient Greek μουσική (mousikḗ), from Ancient Greek Μοῦσα (Moûsa, “Muse”), an Ancient Greek deity of the arts. By surface analysis, muse + -ic (“pertaining to”). In this sense, displaced native Old English drēam (“music”), whence Modern English dream. Fully displaced Old English sweġl.

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • rootProto-Indo-European*men- (think)
    • inheritedMiddle Englishmusik
      • derivedAnglo-Normanmusik
        • derivedOld Frenchmusique
          • derivedLatinmūsica “music”
            • derivedAncient Greekμουσική
              • derivedAncient GreekΜοῦσα “Muse”
    • surface analysisEnglishmuse “Of a person: a source of inspiration.”
    • surface analysisEnglish-ic “Used to form adjectives from nouns with the meaning “of or pertaining to”.”

    Related: Old English drēam

    Sources