Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Song

Song

(sŏng; 115)
,
Noun.
[AS.
song
,
sang
, fr.
singan
to sing; akin to D.
zang
, G.
sang
, Icel.
söngr
, Goth.
saggws
. See
Sing
.]
1.
That which is sung or uttered with musical modulations of the voice, whether of a human being or of a bird, insect, etc.
“That most ethereal of all sounds, the song of crickets.”
Hawthorne.
2.
A lyrical poem adapted to vocal music; a ballad.
3.
More generally, any poetical strain; a poem.
The bard that first adorned our native tongue
Tuned to his British lyre this ancient
song
.
Dryden.
4.
Poetical composition; poetry; verse.
This subject for heroic
song
.
Milton.
5.
An object of derision; a laughingstock.
And now am I their
song
, yea, I am their byword.
Job xxx. 9.
Old song
,
a trifle; nothing of value.
“I do not intend to be thus put off with an old song.”
Dr. H. More.
–
Song bird
(Zool.)
,
any singing bird; one of the
Oscines
.
–
Song sparrow
(Zool.)
,
a very common North American sparrow (
Melospiza fasciata
, or
Melospiza melodia
) noted for the sweetness of its song in early spring. Its breast is covered with dusky brown streaks which form a blotch in the center.
–
Song thrush
(Zool.)
,
a common European thrush (
Turdus musicus
), noted for its melodius song; – called also
mavis
,
throstle
, and
thrasher
.
Syn. – Sonnet; ballad; canticle; carol; canzonet; ditty; hymn; descant; lay; strain; poesy; verse.

Webster 1828 Edition

Song

SONG

, n.
1.
In general, that which is sung or uttered with musical modulations of the voice, whether of the human voice or that of a bird.
2.
A little poem to be sung, or uttered with musical modulations; a ballad. The songs of a country are characteristic of its manners. Every country has its love songs, its war songs, and its patriotic songs.
3.
A hymn; a sacred poem or hymn to be sung either in joy or thanksgiving, as that sung by Moses and the Israelites after escaping the dangers of the Arabian gulf and of Pharaoh; or of lamentation, as that of David over the death of Saul and Jonathan. Songs of joy are represented as constituting a part of heavenly felicity.
4.
A lay; a strain; a poem. The bard that first adorn'd our native tongue, tun'd to his British lyre this ancient song.
5.
Poetry; poesy; verse. This subject for heroic song pleas'd me.
6.
Notes of birds. [See Def. 1.]
7.
A mere trifle. The soldier's pay is a song. Old song, a trifle. I do not intend to be thus put off with an old song.

Definition 2024

Song

Song

See also: song

English

Proper noun

Song

  1. (historical) A former dynasty in China, reigning from the end of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms to the beginning of the Yuan.
  2. (historical) A former empire in China, occupying the eastern half of modern China.
  3. (historical) The era of Chinese history during which the dynasty reigned.
  4. A surname​.
  5. (geography) A river in Papua New Guinea.
  6. (geography) Various minor rivers in China.

Synonyms

  • (Chinese state): Sung
  • (Chinese surname): Sung, Soong
  • (Chinese rivers): Songjiang, Song Jiang

Translations

German

Etymology

From English song.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /sɔŋ/

Noun

Song m ‎(genitive Songs, plural Songs)

  1. (esp. pop music, colloquial) song

Hyponyms

  • Instrumentalsong

Related terms

  • Lied
  • Gesangsstück, Gesangstück
  • Instrumentalstück
  • Musikstück

song

song

See also: Song, söng, sōng, sǒng, sòng, sông, and sổng

English

Noun

song ‎(plural songs)

  1. A musical composition with lyrics for voice or voices, performed by singing.
    Thomas listened to his favorite song on the radio yesterday.‎
    • 1852, Mrs M.A. Thompson, “The Tutor's Daughter”, in Graham's American Monthly Magazine of Literature, Art, and Fashion, page 266:
      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, chapter 5, in The Mirror and the Lamp:
      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. (by extension) Any musical composition.
  3. Poetical composition; poetry; verse.
    • John Milton (1608-1674)
      This subject for heroic song.
    • John Dryden (1631-1700)
      The bard that first adorned our native tongue / Tuned to his British lyre this ancient song.
  4. The act or art of singing.
  5. A melodious sound made by a bird, insect, whale or other animal.
    I love hearing the song of canary birds.‎
  6. (ornithology) The distinctive sound that a male bird utters to attract a mate or to protect his territory; contrasts with call
  7. Something that cost only a little; chiefly in for a song.
    He bought that car for a song.‎
    • Benjamin Silliman (1779–1864)
      The soldier's pay is a song.
    • 1915, Mrs. Belloc Lowndes, The Lodger, chapter I:
      Thus the red damask curtains which now shut out the fog-laden, drizzling atmosphere of the Marylebone Road, had cost a mere song, and yet they might have been warranted to last another thirty years. A great bargain also had been the excellent Axminster carpet which covered the floor; […].
  8. An object of derision; a laughing stock.
    • Bible, Job xxx. 9
      And now am I their song, yea, I am their byword.

Translations

Derived terms

See also

Anagrams

Chuukese

Adjective

song

  1. angry

Dutch

Pronunciation

Etymology

Borrowing from English song.

Noun

song m ‎(plural songs)

  1. song

Synonyms

Derived terms

Faroese

Etymology

From Old Norse sæing ‎(“bed”), later sæng.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /sɔŋk/

Noun

song f (genitive singular songar or seingjar, plural seingir or sengur)

  1. bed

Declension

Declension of song
f11 singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative song songin seingir, sengur seingirnar, sengurnar
accusative song songina seingir, sengur seingirnar, sengurnar
dative song songini seingjum seingjunum
genitive seingjar, songar seingjarrinar, songarinnar seingja seingjanna

See also

Mandarin

Romanization

song

  1. Nonstandard spelling of sōng.
  2. Nonstandard spelling of sǒng.
  3. Nonstandard spelling of sòng.

Usage notes

  • English transcriptions of Mandarin speech often fail to distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without the appropriate indication of tone.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse sǫngr.

Noun

song m ‎(definite singular songen, indefinite plural songar, definite plural songane)

  1. song
    Kven er det som syng denne songen?
    Who sings this song?

References

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 雙 (“set of two, pair, couple, both”)

Pronunciation

Conjunction

song

  1. both

Determiner

song

  1. both

Noun

song

  1. set of two, pair, couple

Prefix

song

  1. bi-

Zhuang

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 雙 (MC ʃˠʌŋ). Compare Lao ສອງ ‎(sǭng), Lü ᦉᦸᧂ ‎(ṡoang), Shan သွင် ‎(sʰɔŋ1), Thai สอง ‎(sɔ̌ɔng).

Pronunciation

  • (Standard Zhuang) IPA(key): /θoːŋ˧/

Numeral

song ‎(old orthography soŋ, Sawndip forms 雙/双)

  1. two
    • 2008, Rint Sybesma, Zhuang: A Tai language with some Sinitic characteristics, in From Linguistic Areas to Areal Linguistics (edited by Pieter Muysken), page 246:
      De   fwngz   ndeu   yaeuj   ndaej   song   doengj   raemx   bae!
      3s    hand    one     raise    ACQ    two    bucket    water    PRT
      S/he can lift two buckets of water with one hand!

Synonyms

Etymology

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 ὀμφή ‎(omphḗ, “voice, oracle”). More at sing.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /sɒŋ/
  • (US) IPA(key): /sɔŋ/, /sɑŋ/
  • Rhymes: -ɒŋ

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