prosody

[ pros-uh-dee ]

noun

1. the science or study of poetic meters and versification.
2. a particular or distinctive system of metrics and versification:

   Milton's prosody.

3. Linguistics. the stress and intonation patterns of an utterance.

prosody

/ prəˈsɒdɪk; ˈprɒsədɪ /

noun

1. the study of poetic metre and of the art of versification, including rhyme, stanzaic forms, and the quantity and stress of syllables
2. a system of versification
3. the patterns of stress and intonation in a language

Derived Forms

• ˈprosodist, noun
• prosodic, adjective

Other Words From

• pro·sod·ic [pr, uh, -, sod, -ik], pro·sod·i·cal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of prosody¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Latin prosōdia, from Greek prosōidía “tone or accent, modulation of voice, song sung to music,” equivalent to prós “toward” + ōid(ḗ) ode + -ia -y ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of prosody¹

C15: from Latin prosōdia accent of a syllable, from Greek prosōidia song set to music, from pros towards + ōidē, from aoidē song; see ode

Example Sentences

Other parameters come into play, such as prosody, which includes pauses, accentuation and intonation.

From Science Daily

This juxtaposition is far from coincidental, as the researchers' experiments revealed that dog brains respond in the same positive ways to exaggerated prosody as our very own infants.

From Salon

If a brain-computer interface could re-create someone’s speech with the inherent prosody and emotional weight found in music, it could reconstruct far more than just words.

From Scientific American

Linguists call this language feature “prosody,” something machines have had a hard time mastering.

From New York Times

Spencer showed a wonderful sense of prosody and storytelling in “I Know My Soul,” and Thompson sounded an exultant, if sometimes strident, call to celebration in “My People.”

From New York Times