music |ˈmjuːzɪk|
noun [ mass noun ]
1 vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion: couples were dancing to the music | baroque music.
• the art or science of composing or performing music: he devoted his life to music.
• a sound perceived as pleasingly harmonious: the background music of softly lapping water.
2 the written or printed signs representing vocal or instrumental sound: Tony learned to read music.
• the score or scores of a musical composition or compositions: the music was open on a stand.
PHRASES
music of the spheres see sphere.
music to one's ears something that is very pleasant or gratifying to hear or discover: the commission's report was music to the ears of the government.
ORIGIN Middle English: from Old French musique, via Latin from Greek mousikē (tekhnē) ‘(art) of the Muses’, from mousa ‘muse’.