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Glite Dictionary
melic verse

melic verse

9.9
A poem that people sing, like ancient Greek songs
  • noun
  • /ˈmɛlɪk vɜrs/
  • Literature
translation icon : verso melódico
  • Unlike epic poetry, melic verse was typically meant to be sung rather than simply recited.

Examples

  • The choir specialized in performing ancient melic verse with authentic Greek instrumentation.

  • The ancient Greeks composed melic verse for public celebrations.

  • Scholars have studied the structure of melic verse to better understand early Greek song traditions.

  • Many famous poets wrote melic verses during the classical period.

  • The choir specialized in performing ancient melic verse with authentic Greek instrumentation.

  • Many famous poets wrote melic verse during the classical period.

  • Unlike epic poetry, melic verse was typically meant to be sung rather than simply recited.

Antonyms

prose
46 3.1

Ordinary written or spoken language that is not poetry

Surface Forms

melic verse singular
melic verses plural

Morphology

melic + verse

The adjective 'melic' (relating to song or singing) combined with 'verse' (poetry) yields a directly compositional meaning: poetry intended to be sung. Thus, if a learner knows both constituent meanings the overall sense is predictable and follows a standard adjective+noun pattern, even though 'melic' itself is a rare lexical item.

Etymology

Melic verse comes from the Greek word 'melos' meaning 'song' and the word verse meaning a line of poetry. That's why it refers to poetry that was meant 'to be sung'.