Rhythms

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A patterned series of sounds or movements that recur in a predictable sequence; the beat or tempo that drives music and compositions; regular intervals that structure actions or events in a cohesive manner
2. A sequence of sounds or physical movements that create a musical beat; the pulse underlying various art forms defining their flow; consistent patterns that organize time and activities in life
3. A succession of auditory or kinetic patterns that establish a rhythmic framework; the fundamental timing mechanism that supports musical genres; systematic repetitions that guide behavior and performance in diverse contexts

Etymology: "Rhythms" is the plural of "rhythm," so the core story belongs to "rhythm" itself. That word traces back to ancient Greek "rhuthmós," which meant any measured flow or movement, including the symmetry of a well-proportioned figure or a dance step. Its root is "rhéō," "to flow, run, stream, gush." The idea behind the word is therefore water in motion, with the regular beat of a river's current as the first picture of pattern. The Greeks applied this sense to speech, music and dance, and the Romans borrowed it as "rhythmus." English took the word from Latin in the 1550s, and the earliest recorded use dates to 1557. Over time the sense narrowed from the broad idea of measured motion to the recurring beat that structures poetry, music and, by extension, the regular cycles of daily life.

Synonyms: beats, patterns, flows, cadences, tempos

Antonyms: disorder, chaos