The art of arranging sounds in time so as to produce a continuous, unified, and evocative composition, as through melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre.
Vocal or instrumental sounds possessing a degree of melody, harmony, or rhythm.
1. A musical composition.
2. The written or printed score for such a composition.
3. Such scores considered as a group: We keep our music in a stack near the piano.
A musical accompaniment.
A particular category or kind of music.
An aesthetically pleasing or harmonious sound or combination of sounds: the music of the wind in the pines.

[Middle English, from Old French musique, from Latin msica, from Greekmousik (tekhn), (art) of the Muses, feminine of mousikos, of the Muses, from Mousa, Muse. See men-¹ in Indo-European Roots.]

Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Definition 2

music

In addition to the idiom beginning with music, also see face the music.

Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Definition 3

music

\Mu"sic\, n. [F. musique, fr. L. musica, Gr. ? (sc. ?), any art over which the Muses presided, especially music, lyric poetry set and sung to music, fr. ? belonging to Muses or fine arts, fr. ? Muse.] 1. The science and the art of tones, or musical sounds, i. e., sounds of higher or lower pitch, begotten of uniform and synchronous vibrations, as of a string at various degrees of tension; the science of harmonical tones which treats of the principles of harmony, or the properties, dependences, and relations of tones to each other; the art of combining tones in a manner to please the ear.

Note: Not all sounds are tones. Sounds may be unmusical and yet please the ear. Music deals with tones, and with no other sounds. See Tone.

2. (a) Melody; a rhythmical and otherwise agreeable succession of tones. (b) Harmony; an accordant combination of simultaneous tones.

3. The written and printed notation of a musical composition; the score.

4. Love of music; capacity of enjoying music.

The man that hath no music in himself Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds, Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils. --Shak.

5. (Zo["o]l.) A more or less musical sound made by many of the lower animals. See Stridulation.

Magic music, a game in which a person is guided in finding a hidden article, or in doing a specific art required, by music which is made more loud or rapid as he approaches success, and slower as he recedes. --Tennyson.

Definition 4

music

al \Mu"sic*al\, a. [Cf. F. musical.] Of or pertaining to music; having the qualities of music; or the power of producing music; devoted to music; melodious; harmonious; as, musical proportion; a musical voice; musical instruments; a musical sentence; musical persons.

Musical, or Music, box, a box or case containing apparatus moved by clockwork so as to play certain tunes automatically.

Musical fish (Zo["o]l.), any fish which utters sounds under water, as the drumfish, grunt, gizzard shad, etc.

Musical glasses, glass goblets or bowls so tuned and arranged that when struck, or rubbed, they produce musical notes. CF. Harmonica, 1.

Definition 5

music

n 1: an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner 2: any agreeable (pleasing and harmonious) sounds; "he fell asleep to the music of the wind chimes" [syn: euphony] 3: a musical diversion; "his music was his central interest" 4: a musical composition in printed or written form; "she turned the pages of the music as he played" [syn: sheet music] 5: the sounds produced by singers or musical instruments (or reproductions of such sounds) 6: punishment for one's actions; "you have to face the music"; "take your medicine" [syn: medicine]

Definition 6

music

<language, music> A series of languages for musical sound
synthesis from Bell Labs, 1960's. Versions: Music I through
Music V.

["An Acoustical Compiler for Music and Psychological Stimuli",
M.V. Mathews, Bell Sys Tech J 40 (1961)].

[Jargon File]

(1999-06-04)

Definition 7

music

n. A common extracurricular interest of hackers
(compare science-fiction fandom, oriental food; see also
filk). Hackish folklore has long claimed that musical and
programming abilities are closely related, and there has been at
least one large-scale statistical study that supports this.
Hackers, as a rule, like music and often develop musical
appreciation in unusual and interesting directions. Folk music is
very big in hacker circles; so is electronic music, and the sort of
elaborate instrumental jazz/rock that used to be called
`progressive' and isn't recorded much any more. The hacker's
musical range tends to be wide; many can listen with equal
appreciation to (say) Talking Heads, Yes, Gentle Giant, Pat Metheny,
Scott Joplin, Tangerine Dream, Dream Theater, King Sunny Ade, The
Pretenders, Screaming Trees, or the Brandenburg Concerti. It is
also apparently true that hackerdom includes a much higher
concentration of talented amateur musicians than one would expect
from a similar-sized control group of mundane types.

Source: Jargon File 4.2.0

Definition 8

music

Jubal was the inventor of musical instruments (Gen. 4:21). The Hebrews were much
given to the cultivation of music. Their whole history and literature afford
abundant evidence of this. After the Deluge, the first mention of music is in
the account of Laban's interview with Jacob (Gen. 31:27). After their triumphal
passage of the Red Sea, Moses and the children of Israel sang their song of
deliverance (Ex. 15). But the period of Samuel, David, and Solomon was the
golden age of Hebrew music, as it was of Hebrew poetry. Music was now for the
first time systematically cultivated. It was an essential part of training in
the schools of the prophets (1 Sam. 10:5; 19:19-24; 2 Kings 3:15; 1 Chr. 25:6).
There now arose also a class of professional singers (2 Sam. 19:35; Eccl. 2:8).
The temple, however, was the great school of music. In the conducting of its
services large bands of trained singers and players on instruments were
constantly employed (2 Sam. 6:5; 1 Chr. 15; 16; 23;5; 25:1-6). In private life
also music seems to have held an important place among the Hebrews (Eccl. 2:8;
Amos 6:4-6; Isa. 5:11, 12; 24:8, 9; Ps. 137; Jer. 48:33; Luke 15:25).

Source: Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary

Definition 9

music

MUSIC: in Acronym Finder

Definition 10

music

music: in CancerWEB's On-line Medical Dictionary

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