What does "monody" mean?

An ode, as in Greek drama, for a single voice, often specifically a mournful song or dirge.

What is a synonym for "monody"?

Common synonyms include: monophony, accord, accordance, alba, anacreontic, attune.

//ˈmɑnədi// noun

noun ·Moderate ·College level

Noun

1
An ode, as in Greek drama, for a single voice, often specifically a mournful song or dirge.
2
music consisting of a single vocal part (usually with accompaniment) wordnet
3
Any poem mourning the death of someone; an elegy.
4
A monotonous or mournful noise.
"Stroke by stroke, the great familiar monody of that incomparable curfew rose and fell in the stillness."
5
A composition having a single melodic line.
"All directions in life were blocked to him. He could not think, he could not sleep, his heart thudded to a deadening monody of fear. Fear that is itself the penalty of all things feared."

"Stroke by stroke, the great familiar monody of that incomparable curfew rose and fell in the stillness."

From Latin monodia, from Ancient Greek μονῳδία (monōidía).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.