song means A musical composition with lyrics for voice or voices, performed by singing.
song is pronounced /sɒŋ/.
Why “song” is a great word
A musical composition with lyrics intended to be performed by the human voice. From Middle English song, sang, from Old English sang, from Proto-West Germanic *sangu, from Proto-Germanic *sangwaz ("singing, song"), from Proto-Indo-European *sengʷʰ- ("to sing"). Unlike a poem, which rests in the silent architecture of words, or an instrumental, which unfolds in melody unburdened by voice, a song is the breath shaped into both language and pitch. It is the rasp of a throat singing alone in a shower, the swell of voices at a midnight campfire, the hush that falls when a single note holds a crowd; not merely heard, but felt in the chest as something half-remembered, as if the bones have always known the tune.
Etymology
From Middle English song, sang, from Old English sang, from Proto-West Germanic *sangu, 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 Bokmål sang (“song”), Norwegian Nynorsk song (“song”), Icelandic söngur (“song”), Ancient Greek ὀμφή (omphḗ, “voice, oracle”). More at sing.
noun
- A musical composition with lyrics for voice or voices, performed by singing.e.g.“Thomas listened to his favorite song on the radio yesterday.”
- Any musical composition.
- Poetical composition; poetry; verse.e.g.“This subject for heroic song.” — 1667, John Milton, “Book VIII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished
- The act or art of singing.
- A melodious sound made by a bird, insect, whale or other animal.e.g.“I love hearing the song of canary birds.”
- The distinctive sound that a male bird utters to attract a mate or to protect his territory; contrasts with call; also, similar vocalisations made by female birds.
- A low price, especially one under the expected value; chiefly in for a song.e.g.“He bought that car for a song.”
- An object of derision; a laughing stock.e.g.“And now am I their song, yea, I am their byword.” — 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Job 30:9:
name
- A former dynasty in China, reigning from the end of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms to the beginning of the Yuan.e.g.“Up until the Song dynasty (960 to 1279 A.D.), it was the case that, like in the West, each person would get their own meal.” — 2017 August 29, Sabine Peschel (kbm), “What the Chinese think of German food”, in Deutsche Welle, archived from the original on 30 Aug 2017, Lifestyle:
- A former empire in China, occupying the eastern half of modern China.
- The era of Chinese history during which the dynasty reigned.
- A surname from Chinese.
- A river in China; any of various minor rivers in China.
- A river in Papua New Guinea.
- A local government area of Adamawa State, Nigeria.
- A surname from Khmer.
- A district of Phrae Province, Thailand.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- singsong 64% match — A piece of verse with a simple, songlike rhythm. vs song →
- songly 62% match — Of, resembling, pertaining to, or expressed in song; songful; musical vs song →
- vocals 61% match — The words of a song together with other sounds sung by a vocalist. vs song →
- singing 60% match — The act of using the voice to produce musical sounds; vocalizing. vs song →
- cantion 59% match — A song, poem or incantation. vs song →
- psalm 59% match — A sacred song; a poetical composition for use in the praise or worship of God. vs song →
- undersong 57% match — An accompanying sound or strain; an accompaniment. vs song →
- songliness 56% match — The state, quality, or condition of being songly vs song →