melisma
/məˈlɪzmə/noun
melisma is spelled M-E-L-I-S-M-A: 7 letters. It appears about once in every 44 million words in written English, the 204,233rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, melisma means “A passage of several notes sung to one syllable of text” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of melisma is melismas or melismata.
How many letters and syllables are in melisma?
| Letters | 7: M-E-L-I-S-M-A |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 44 million words; the 204,233rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is melisma?
Melisma appears about once in every 44 million words in written English, the 204,233rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce melisma?
- US /məˈlɪzmə/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Forms of melisma
- melismas plural
- melismata plural
- melism
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does melisma mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A passage of several notes sung to one syllable of text.
- 2
The use of such passages.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Melisma in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a passage of several notes sung to one syllable of text:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does melisma come from?
From Ancient Greek μέλισμα (mélisma, “song”), from μελίζω (melízō, “(I) sing, modulate; (I) celebrate in song”), from μέλος (mélos, “song, tune, melody; limb, part; member”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).