Rhythm

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɹɪð.m̩/

Definitions

1. A repeated pattern of sounds, movements, or beats that creates a sense of timing and flow in music, speech, or motion
2. A regular recurrence of accented and unaccented beats or movements that structures time in music, poetry, or physical activity
3. The measured pulsation or cadence of recurring stressed and unstressed elements that organizes sound, language, or motion

Etymology: The Greek "rhuthmos" meant any measured flow or movement, and its root is "rhein," to flow flowing water, stream or gush. So the English word began as a picture of motion: rhythm was the regular recurrence that makes a stream or a dancer's steps seem to move in a pattern. The Greeks applied this idea widely. "Rhuthmos" could describe the symmetry of a well-proportioned body or a balanced arrangement of parts, not only sound or music. Music and poetry became its most familiar uses, and the Latin "rhythmus" carried the word into scholarly writing. English took the word from Latin, and it first appeared in 1557. The spelling with "rh" keeps the Greek shape visible, even though the word has long been used for beats in music, speech and nature.

Synonyms: beat, tempo, cadence, flow, measure

Antonyms: discord, disorder, chaos, irregularity, silence