Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

melisma

/məˈlɪzmə/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.36 in modern English

Syllables: melis-ma
IPA: /məˈlɪzmə/

11

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A passage of several notes sung to one syllable of text.

Countable

noun

The use of such passages.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"A choir sang one of the Lamentations of Jeremiah. The mournful melisma accompanied the slow procession to the palace built by Herod the Great, at present untenanted."
"At the top of the hill in the archway of the main house, an eyeless old man sat on a bucket, scratching at a two-stringed gourd, warbling weird melismas on a madman's text."
"A subsequent generation of singers, including Ms. Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson and Beyoncé, built their careers around melisma."

Etymology

From Ancient Greek μέλισμα (mélisma, “song”), from μελίζω (melízō, “(I) sing, modulate; (I) celebrate in song”), from μέλος (mélos, “song, tune, melody; limb, part; member”).

Origin

Source language: Ancient Greek

Word Breakdown

Root: μέλισμα

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /məˈlɪzmə/
British English: /məˈlɪzmə/

Usage

Inflected Forms

melismas (plural) melismata (plural) melism (alternative)

Derived Forms

melismatic

Questions

How do you pronounce melisma?: The recorded pronunciation is /məˈlɪzmə/.
What does melisma mean?: A passage of several notes sung to one syllable of text.
Where does melisma come from?: It is traced to Ancient Greek.

How to pronounce melisma

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “melisma”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/məˈlɪzmə/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “melisma”.
Repeat and practice — Say “melisma” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.