Etymologically
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lyrical

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Pronunciation

  • /ˈlɪɹɪkəl/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English lyric + -al.[2][3][4] Lyric is from French lyrique, from Latin lyricus (“of the lyre”), from Ancient Greek λυρικός (lurikós, “singing to the lyre”), from λύρα (lúra, “lyre”).[5][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of or suited to the lyre, of lyric poetry: Merriam-Webster gives 1581 as the first known use,[6] Etymonline the 1580s,[3] and the OED's first record is Sir Philip Sidney's Apologie for Poetrie, written before 1586.[2] The Shorter Oxford dates the word to the early 16th century.[4]

Semantic evolution

At first the word was simply a fuller form of lyric, with the qualities of lyric poetry.[2][4] From 1817, in Coleridge, it also described anything resembling the language of lyric poetry.[2][4] In 1875 Henry James used it for "excitedly effusive, highly enthusiastic", a colloquial sense that began in the United States and is now common in the phrase to wax lyrical.[2][7]

Timeline

  • 1581 – Merriam-Webster's first date.[6]
  • before 1586 – lyric, in Sidney's Apologie for Poetrie.[2]
  • 1817 – like lyric poetry, in Coleridge.[2]
  • 1875 – effusive, enthusiastic, in Henry James.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Expressing personal feeling in a poetic or song-like way; lyric: the lyrical opening of the second movement.[7][6][2]
  2. Having the qualities of lyric poetry, or suited to being sung.[2][4][7]
  3. Very enthusiastic or effusive, especially in wax lyrical: He waxed lyrical about the hotel's breakfast.[7][2]

Word family

  • lyrically
  • lyricalness
  • nonlyrical
  • unlyrical

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  6. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b c d Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins