Melodicising

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Giving a piece of music or a spoken line a more tuneful, singable quality through pitch and rhythm choices
2. Rendering something more lyrical and pleasing to the ear by shaping its melody
3. Shaping a sound or passage so that it flows as a pleasing, song-like melody

Etymology: Ancient Greek used "melos" for a song or tune, and "melōidia" for singing set to music, built from "melos" and "aeidein," "to sing." The adjective "melōdikos," meaning tuneful or musical, passed through Latin "melodicus" into English as "melodic." Everything else in this verb is built on that adjective. The ending does most of the work. The "-ise" ending (spelled "-ize" in American English) comes from Greek "-izein," which Latin adopted as "-izare" and which reached English largely through French. It turns an adjective or noun into a verb meaning to make something a certain way or to act in a certain manner. So "melodicise" means to make something melodic, or to add melody to it. The "-ing" suffix then turns the verb into a participle or gerund, naming the process or the act of doing it.

Synonyms: setting to music, composing, orchestrating, harmonizing