music English · revision 1985

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=c. 1250 (The Story of Genesis and Exodus)|origins=grc Μοῦσα}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈmjuː.zɪk/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|musike]], [[bor|fro|musique]], and directly [[bor|la|mūsica|t=the art of music]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) [[der|grc|μουσική|tr=mousikḗ]], short for [[m|grc|μουσικὴ τέχνη|tr=mousikḕ tékhnē|t=art of the Muses]],^(AHD 2000)^(Barnhart 1988) the feminine of [[m|grc|μουσικός|tr=mousikós|t=of the Muses; musical, educated]],^(Etymonline) from [[m|grc|Μοῦσα|tr=Moûsa|t=Muse]].^(Etymonline)^(AHD 2000) The Latin word is also the source of [[es|música]], [[it|musica]], [[de|Musik]] and [[nl|muziek]].^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The art or science of combining sounds pleasingly in order and rhythm (mid-13th century),^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) first found about 1250 in ''The Story of Genesis and Exodus''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In classical Greece ''mousikē'' covered any art over which the Muses presided, especially music and lyric poetry,^(Etymonline)^(Klein 1966) and Latin ''musica'' also took in poetry.^(Etymonline) In English the word passed from the art to the sounds themselves (14th century),^(Hoad 1986) then to a band of musicians (16th century)^(Hoad 1986) and to the written score (1650s).^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) The cry of a pack of hounds has been called ''music'' since 1600.^(HTOED) The spelling ''music'', often credited to Noah Webster, is recorded from 1633 and was used by Johnson, Gray and Wordsworth before Webster's dictionaries.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) A ''music box'' (1773, in Goldsmith) was first a barrel organ and by 1845 the wind-up mechanical toy.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) ''Music hall'' (1842, in Dickens) was a hall for concerts and since 1857 a hall licensed for musical entertainment.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) ''Musical comedy'' (1765) was shortened to ''musical'' in 1938.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1250 – ''musike'' (''The Story of Genesis and Exodus'').^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * c. 1380 – ''musicyen'', musician (Chaucer).^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 14th century – musical sounds.^(Hoad 1986)

+ * c. 1421 – ''musical'' (Lydgate).^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 16th century – a company of musicians, a band.^(Hoad 1986)

+ * 1600 – the cry of hounds.^(HTOED)

+ * 1633 – the spelling ''music''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1650s – a written or printed score.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1773 – ''music box''.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1842 – ''music hall''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1938 – ''musical'', a musical play or film.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # The art of arranging sounds in time through [[melody]], [[harmony]], [[rhythm]] and tone colour.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Vocal or instrumental sounds having melody, harmony or rhythm.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A style of such art belonging to a people or tradition: ''Indian music'', ''rock music''.^(Collins 2023)^(HTOED)

+ # A musical composition, or its written or printed [[score]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Any pleasing or harmonious sounds.^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(hunting)'' The cry of a pack of hounds.^(HTOED)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[musicless]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[muse]]

+ * [[museum]]

+ * [[musician]]

+ * [[musical]]

+ * [[mosaic]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}