rhythm

 
Pronunciation: /ˈrɪð(ə)m/

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

Derivatives

rhythmless

adjective

Origin:

mid 16th century (also originally in the sense 'rhyme'): from French rhythme, or via Latin from Greek rhuthmos (related to rhein 'to flow')

Spelling help

Remember that rhythm is spelled with rhy- at the beginning, then -thm.

rhythm really has your two hips moving.