rhythm

noun

• 1a strong, regular repeated pattern of movement or sound:Ruth listened to the rhythm of his breathing
• [mass noun] the systematic arrangement of musical sounds, principally according to duration and periodical stress: he made her count beats to the bar and clap the rhythm
• a particular pattern formed by musical rhythm:melodies with deep African rhythms
• [mass noun] a person’s natural feeling for musical rhythm:they’ve got no rhythm

• 2 [mass noun] the measured flow of words and phrases in verse or prose as determined by the relation of long and short or stressed and unstressed syllables: the rhythm, pattern, and cadence of words [count noun]:limericks have a characteristic rhythm and rhyme scheme

• 3a regularly recurring sequence of events or processes:the twice daily rhythms of the tides
• Art a harmonious sequence or correlation of colours or elements: in Art Nouveau, the flow and rhythm of a design became pre-eminent