Song

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /sÉ’Å‹/
• US IPA: /sɔŋ/, /sÉ‘Å‹/
• Rhymes: -É’Å‹

Origin

From Middle English song, sang, from Old English song, sang ("noise, song, singing, chanting; poetry; a poem to be sung or recited, psalm, lay"), from Proto-Germanic *sangwaz ("singing, song"), from Proto-Indo-European *sengʷh- ("to sing"). Cognate with Scots sang, song ("singing, song"), Saterland Frisian Song ("song"), West Frisian sang ("song"), Dutch zang ("song"), Low German sang ("song"), German Sang ("singing, song"), Swedish sång ("song"), Norwegian song ("song"), Icelandic söngur ("song"), Ancient Greek ὁμφή (omphḗ, "voice, oracle"). More at sing.

Full definition of song

Noun

1. A musical composition with lyrics for voice or voices, performed by singing.
• In the lightness of my heart I sang catches of songs as my horse gayly bore me along the well-remembered road.
• 1918, W. B. Maxwell, The Mirror and the Lamp Chapter 5, He was thinking; but the glory of the song, the swell from the great organ, the clustered lights, …, the height and vastness of this noble fane, its antiquity and its strength—all these things seemed to have their part as causes of the thrilling emotion that accompanied his thoughts.
2. Thomas listened to his favorite song on the radio yesterday.
3. (by extension) Any musical composition.
4. Poetical composition; poetry; verse.
• MiltonThis subject for heroic song.
• DrydenThe bard that first adorned our native tongue
  Tuned to his British lyre this ancient song.
5. The act or art of singing.
6. A melodious sound made by a bird, insect, whale or other animal.
• HawthorneThat most ethereal of all sounds, the song of crickets.
7. I love hearing the song of canary birds.
8. Something that cost only a little; chiefly in for a song.
• SillimanThe soldier's pay is a song.
9. He bought that car for a song.
10. An object of derision; a laughing stock.
• Bible, Job xxx. 9And now am I their song, yea, I am their byword.

Derived terms

Anagrams

• gons
• nogs
• snog