Where does “mel” come from?
Melody derives from Middle English melodie, Old French melodie, Latin melodia, Ancient Greek μελῳδία (combination of μέλος "limb" and ἀείδω "to sing"), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European mey-.
mel (English): A common scale of pitches that are perceived by...
Definitions
- A common scale of pitches that are perceived by...
Ancestry of “mel”, step by step
mel traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Melody
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Melody | A sequence of notes that makes up a musical phrase |
| 2 | Middle English | melodie | Melodiousness; the quality of being musically harmonious or pleasant |
| 3 | Old French | melodie | — |
| 4 | Latin | melōdia | melody |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | μελῳδία | song, singing; chant; music, melody |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | μελῳδός | musical |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | μέλος | part of a body, limb, member, part; part of a... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | mel- | soft; tender; weak; to deceive; to rub |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | mey- | to strengthen; to bind; to change, exchange |