Music

How to spell music

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce music

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does music mean?

1. nounThe art or sound of arranged tones, rhythm, and harmony, whether performed or recorded.

Music in a sentence

• She studied music at the conservatory for four years.

• The café played soft music during the morning rush.

Where does music come from?

Language of origin: Greek

The word music traces back to the ancient Greek mousike, which literally meant 'the art of the Muses'. The Muses were the nine goddesses who presided over poetry, song, dance, and learning, so mousike originally covered the whole sweep of cultured arts rather than just sound. Latin reshaped the word as musica, narrowing it toward the organised art of tones, and it passed into Old French as musique. English adopted it during the 1300s, and the older spelling 'musick' lingered for centuries before settling into the modern 'music'. That long pedigree explains why the everyday word still hides the name of a Greek goddess inside it.

How the word is built

• mus- (from Muse, the Greek goddesses of the arts)
• -ic (adjective/noun suffix meaning 'pertaining to')