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Lyric

adj, name, noun

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Of, or relating to a type of poetry (such as a sonnet or ode) that expresses subjective thoughts and feelings, often in a songlike style.
  2. 2
    Of or relating to a writer of such poetry.
  3. 3
    Lyrical.
  4. 4
    Having a light singing voice of modest range.
  5. 5
    Of or relating to musical drama and opera.
Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    Melodious.
  2. 7
    Of or relating to the lyre (or sometimes the harp).
Adjective
  1. 1
    expressing deep emotion wordnet
  2. 2
    used of a singer or singing voice that is light in volume and modest in range wordnet
  3. 3
    of or relating to a category of poetry that expresses emotion (often in a songlike way) wordnet
  4. 4
    relating to or being musical drama wordnet
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A male given name.
  2. 2
    A female given name.
Noun
  1. 1
    A lyric poem.
  2. 2
    a short poem of songlike quality wordnet
  3. 3
    The words of a song or other vocal music. plural-normally

    "The lyric in line 3 doesn't rhyme."

  4. 4
    the text of a popular song or musical-comedy number wordnet
Verb
  1. 1
    write lyrics for (a song) wordnet

Etymology

Etymology 1

From French lyrique, or its source, Latin lyricus, from Ancient Greek λυρικός (lurikós), from λύρα (lúra, “lyre”). Its English equivalent would be lyre + -ic. The original Greek sense of "lyric poetry"—"poetry accompanied by the lyre" i.e. "words set to music"—eventually led to its use as "lyrics", first attested in Stainer and Barrett's 1876 Dictionary of Musical Terms. Stainer and Barrett used the word as a singular substantive: "Lyric, poetry or blank verse intended to be set to music and sung". By the 1930s, the present use of the plurale tantum "lyrics" had begun; it has been standard since the 1950s for many writers. The singular form "lyric" is still used to mean the complete words to a song by authorities such as Alec Wilder, Robert Gottlieb, and Stephen Sondheim. However, the singular form is also commonly used to refer to a specific line (or phrase) within a song's lyrics.

Etymology 2

From French lyrique, or its source, Latin lyricus, from Ancient Greek λυρικός (lurikós), from λύρα (lúra, “lyre”). Its English equivalent would be lyre + -ic. The original Greek sense of "lyric poetry"—"poetry accompanied by the lyre" i.e. "words set to music"—eventually led to its use as "lyrics", first attested in Stainer and Barrett's 1876 Dictionary of Musical Terms. Stainer and Barrett used the word as a singular substantive: "Lyric, poetry or blank verse intended to be set to music and sung". By the 1930s, the present use of the plurale tantum "lyrics" had begun; it has been standard since the 1950s for many writers. The singular form "lyric" is still used to mean the complete words to a song by authorities such as Alec Wilder, Robert Gottlieb, and Stephen Sondheim. However, the singular form is also commonly used to refer to a specific line (or phrase) within a song's lyrics.

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