"melodie" meaning in Middle English

See melodie in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˌmɛlɔˈdiː(ə)/, /ˈmɛlɔˌdiː(ə)/, /ˌmɛləˈdiː(ə)/, /ˈmɛləˌdiː(ə)/ Forms: melodies [plural], melody [alternative], melodye [alternative], melady [alternative, Late-Middle-English], meledye [alternative, Late-Middle-English], melode [alternative, Late-Middle-English], melodi [alternative, Late-Middle-English], molodi [alternative], meloudie [alternative]
Etymology: Borrowed from Old French melodie, from Latin melōdia, from Ancient Greek μελῳδία (melōidía). First attested in c. 1300. Etymology templates: {{bor+|enm|fro|melodie}} Borrowed from Old French melodie, {{der|enm|la|melōdia}} Latin melōdia, {{der|enm|grc|μελῳδία}} Ancient Greek μελῳδία (melōidía), {{etydate|c|1300}} First attested in c. 1300 Head templates: {{head|enm|noun|g=|g2=|g3=|head=|sort=|var=}} melodie, {{enm-noun}} melodie (plural melodies)
  1. Melodiousness; the quality of being musically harmonious or pleasant.
    Sense id: en-melodie-enm-noun-Ru3ffDsJ Categories (other): Pages with entries, Middle English entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 22 20 18 16 12 1 1 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 Disambiguation of Middle English entries with incorrect language header: 52 8 14 5 20
  2. Pleasant music (or sound with a musical quality, such as birdsong or the music of the spheres).
    Sense id: en-melodie-enm-noun-ggOpug7t Categories (other): Music, Sound Disambiguation of Music: 25 37 26 4 7 Disambiguation of Sound: 0 87 13 0 0
  3. (by extension) Harmony; a pleasant concord or unity. Tags: broadly
    Sense id: en-melodie-enm-noun-zEUIAUtR
  4. (uncommon) A song; a musical composition or work. Tags: uncommon
    Sense id: en-melodie-enm-noun-zQM6SerI
  5. (rare) A group of harpists. Tags: rare
    Sense id: en-melodie-enm-noun-v3wrLXwL
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Related terms: melodious

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "English",
      "lang_code": "en",
      "word": "melody"
    },
    {
      "descendants": [
        {
          "lang": "Scots",
          "lang_code": "sco",
          "word": "melody"
        }
      ],
      "lang": "Middle Scots",
      "lang_code": "gmw-msc",
      "word": "melodie"
    },
    {
      "descendants": [
        {
          "lang": "Scots",
          "lang_code": "sco",
          "word": "melody"
        }
      ],
      "lang": "Middle Scots",
      "lang_code": "gmw-msc",
      "word": "melody"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_links": [
    [
      "melodie",
      "melodie#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "melōdia",
      "melodia#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "μελῳδία",
      "μελῳδία#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "c.",
      "circa"
    ]
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "melodie"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Old French melodie",
      "name": "bor+"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "melōdia"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin melōdia",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "μελῳδία"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek μελῳδία (melōidía)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "c",
        "2": "1300"
      },
      "expansion": "First attested in c. 1300",
      "name": "etydate"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Borrowed from Old French melodie, from Latin melōdia, from Ancient Greek μελῳδία (melōidía). First attested in c. 1300.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "melodies",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "melody",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "melodye",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "melady",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "Late-Middle-English"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "meledye",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "Late-Middle-English"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "melode",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "Late-Middle-English"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "melodi",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "Late-Middle-English"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "molodi",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "meloudie",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "noun",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
        "head": "",
        "sort": "",
        "var": ""
      },
      "expansion": "melodie",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "melodie (plural melodies)",
      "name": "enm-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Middle English",
  "lang_code": "enm",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0 0",
      "word": "melodious"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "22 20 18 16 12 1 1 0 6 0 0 0 0 0",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "52 8 14 5 20",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Melodiousness; the quality of being musically harmonious or pleasant."
      ],
      "id": "en-melodie-enm-noun-Ru3ffDsJ",
      "links": [
        [
          "Melodiousness",
          "melodiousness"
        ],
        [
          "musically",
          "musically"
        ],
        [
          "harmonious",
          "harmonious"
        ],
        [
          "pleasant",
          "pleasant"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "25 37 26 4 7",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Music",
          "orig": "enm:Music",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "0 87 13 0 0",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Sound",
          "orig": "enm:Sound",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              24,
              31
            ]
          ],
          "bold_translation_offsets": [
            [
              21,
              29
            ]
          ],
          "english": "And small birds make melodies, / sleeping all night with an open eye.",
          "ref": "1387–1400, [Geoffrey] Chaucer, “Here Bygynneth the Book of the Tales of Caunt́burẏ”, in The Tales of Caunt́bury (Hengwrt Chaucer; Peniarth Manuscript 392D), Aberystwyth, Ceredigion: National Library of Wales, published [c. 1400–1410], →OCLC, folio 2, recto, lines 9-10:",
          "text": "And smale foweles maken melodẏe / That slepen al the nẏght wıth open Iẏe",
          "translation": "And small birds make melodies, / sleeping all night with an open eye.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Pleasant music (or sound with a musical quality, such as birdsong or the music of the spheres)."
      ],
      "id": "en-melodie-enm-noun-ggOpug7t",
      "links": [
        [
          "Pleasant",
          "pleasant"
        ],
        [
          "music",
          "music"
        ],
        [
          "sound",
          "sound#English"
        ],
        [
          "musical",
          "musical#English"
        ],
        [
          "quality",
          "quality#English"
        ],
        [
          "birdsong",
          "birdsong#English"
        ],
        [
          "music of the spheres",
          "music of the spheres#English"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Harmony; a pleasant concord or unity."
      ],
      "id": "en-melodie-enm-noun-zEUIAUtR",
      "links": [
        [
          "Harmony",
          "harmony"
        ],
        [
          "pleasant",
          "pleasant"
        ],
        [
          "concord",
          "concord"
        ],
        [
          "unity",
          "unity"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(by extension) Harmony; a pleasant concord or unity."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "broadly"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "glosses": [
        "A song; a musical composition or work."
      ],
      "id": "en-melodie-enm-noun-zQM6SerI",
      "links": [
        [
          "song",
          "song"
        ],
        [
          "musical",
          "musical"
        ],
        [
          "composition",
          "composition"
        ],
        [
          "work",
          "work"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(uncommon) A song; a musical composition or work."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncommon"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "glosses": [
        "A group of harpists."
      ],
      "id": "en-melodie-enm-noun-v3wrLXwL",
      "links": [
        [
          "group",
          "group"
        ],
        [
          "harpist",
          "harpist"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(rare) A group of harpists."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "rare"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˌmɛlɔˈdiː(ə)/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈmɛlɔˌdiː(ə)/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˌmɛləˈdiː(ə)/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈmɛləˌdiː(ə)/"
    }
  ],
  "word": "melodie"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
    "Middle English lemmas",
    "Middle English nouns",
    "Middle English terms borrowed from Old French",
    "Middle English terms derived from Ancient Greek",
    "Middle English terms derived from Latin",
    "Middle English terms derived from Old French",
    "Pages with 7 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "enm:Music",
    "enm:Sound"
  ],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "English",
      "lang_code": "en",
      "word": "melody"
    },
    {
      "descendants": [
        {
          "lang": "Scots",
          "lang_code": "sco",
          "word": "melody"
        }
      ],
      "lang": "Middle Scots",
      "lang_code": "gmw-msc",
      "word": "melodie"
    },
    {
      "descendants": [
        {
          "lang": "Scots",
          "lang_code": "sco",
          "word": "melody"
        }
      ],
      "lang": "Middle Scots",
      "lang_code": "gmw-msc",
      "word": "melody"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_links": [
    [
      "melodie",
      "melodie#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "melōdia",
      "melodia#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "μελῳδία",
      "μελῳδία#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "c.",
      "circa"
    ]
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "melodie"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Old French melodie",
      "name": "bor+"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "melōdia"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin melōdia",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "μελῳδία"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek μελῳδία (melōidía)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "c",
        "2": "1300"
      },
      "expansion": "First attested in c. 1300",
      "name": "etydate"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Borrowed from Old French melodie, from Latin melōdia, from Ancient Greek μελῳδία (melōidía). First attested in c. 1300.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "melodies",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "melody",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "melodye",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "melady",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "Late-Middle-English"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "meledye",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "Late-Middle-English"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "melode",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "Late-Middle-English"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "melodi",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "Late-Middle-English"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "molodi",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "meloudie",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "noun",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
        "head": "",
        "sort": "",
        "var": ""
      },
      "expansion": "melodie",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "melodie (plural melodies)",
      "name": "enm-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Middle English",
  "lang_code": "enm",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "melodious"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Melodiousness; the quality of being musically harmonious or pleasant."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Melodiousness",
          "melodiousness"
        ],
        [
          "musically",
          "musically"
        ],
        [
          "harmonious",
          "harmonious"
        ],
        [
          "pleasant",
          "pleasant"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "Middle English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              24,
              31
            ]
          ],
          "bold_translation_offsets": [
            [
              21,
              29
            ]
          ],
          "english": "And small birds make melodies, / sleeping all night with an open eye.",
          "ref": "1387–1400, [Geoffrey] Chaucer, “Here Bygynneth the Book of the Tales of Caunt́burẏ”, in The Tales of Caunt́bury (Hengwrt Chaucer; Peniarth Manuscript 392D), Aberystwyth, Ceredigion: National Library of Wales, published [c. 1400–1410], →OCLC, folio 2, recto, lines 9-10:",
          "text": "And smale foweles maken melodẏe / That slepen al the nẏght wıth open Iẏe",
          "translation": "And small birds make melodies, / sleeping all night with an open eye.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Pleasant music (or sound with a musical quality, such as birdsong or the music of the spheres)."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Pleasant",
          "pleasant"
        ],
        [
          "music",
          "music"
        ],
        [
          "sound",
          "sound#English"
        ],
        [
          "musical",
          "musical#English"
        ],
        [
          "quality",
          "quality#English"
        ],
        [
          "birdsong",
          "birdsong#English"
        ],
        [
          "music of the spheres",
          "music of the spheres#English"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "Harmony; a pleasant concord or unity."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Harmony",
          "harmony"
        ],
        [
          "pleasant",
          "pleasant"
        ],
        [
          "concord",
          "concord"
        ],
        [
          "unity",
          "unity"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(by extension) Harmony; a pleasant concord or unity."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "broadly"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "Middle English terms with uncommon senses"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A song; a musical composition or work."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "song",
          "song"
        ],
        [
          "musical",
          "musical"
        ],
        [
          "composition",
          "composition"
        ],
        [
          "work",
          "work"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(uncommon) A song; a musical composition or work."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncommon"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "Middle English terms with rare senses"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A group of harpists."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "group",
          "group"
        ],
        [
          "harpist",
          "harpist"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(rare) A group of harpists."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "rare"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˌmɛlɔˈdiː(ə)/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈmɛlɔˌdiː(ə)/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˌmɛləˈdiː(ə)/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈmɛləˌdiː(ə)/"
    }
  ],
  "word": "melodie"
}

Download raw JSONL data for melodie meaning in Middle English (4.5kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable Middle English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-10-03 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-09-02 using wiktextract (1a05e46 and e3d6d4e). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.