prosody

noun

pros·​o·​dy ˈprä-sə-dē How to pronounce prosody (audio) -zə- How to pronounce prosody (audio)
plural prosodies
1
: the study of versification
especially : the systematic study of metrical structure
2
: a particular system, theory, or style of versification
3
: the rhythmic and intonational aspect of language
prosodist noun

Examples of prosody in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In the meantime, the researchers are adding bells and whistles to Harrell’s device, such as prosody—inflections in pitch and rhythm—and the ability to sing. Ingrid Wickelgren, Scientific American, 14 Aug. 2024 Daniela: The melody and prosody are different from our usual songs, so everything was a challenge. Billboard Japan, Billboard, 7 Aug. 2024 But the landscape, like Homer’s prosody, is mostly rugged and austere. Judith Thurman, The New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2023 Its plodding melody is a key component to Roger Waters’ prosody—the vocal variations like intonation, stress, rhythm, and accent that make human speech sound… well, human. Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 16 Aug. 2023 His research focuses on prosody and intonation, namely the production, processing, development, and documentation of sentence-level tonal contours in the world’s languages. Ben MacAulay, Popular Science, 22 June 2023 In a world where we are surrounded by robots who need to communicate their state of mind, mood and emotion, prosody, and gestures seem like a great subtle back channel to do so, since humans cannot really process multiple linguistic channels effectively. IEEE Spectrum, 14 Feb. 2023 Another digs in further to how a person presents information, but instead of zeroing in on eye movement or fidgeting, the focus is on elements of speech including linguistics, and specifically prosody — the sound, rhythm or intonation of speech. Sophie Putka, Discover Magazine, 13 July 2021 Christopher Ricks, a distinguished scholar of Victorian and modernist poetry, wrote a treatise that takes Dylan’s prosody as seriously as that of Tennyson or Eliot. David Remnick, The New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin prosodia accent of a syllable, from Greek prosōidia song sung to instrumental music, accent, from pros in addition to + ōidē song — more at pros-, ode

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of prosody was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near prosody

Cite this Entry

“Prosody.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prosody. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

prosody

noun
pros·​o·​dy ˈpräs-əd-ē How to pronounce prosody (audio)
plural prosodies
: the study of the structure of poetry

More from Merriam-Webster on prosody

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!