n., pl., -ma·ta (-mə-tə), or -mas.
A passage of several notes sung to one syllable of text, as in Gregorian chant.
[Greek, melody, from melizein, to sing, from melos, song.]
melismatic mel'is·mat'ic (mĕl'ĭz-măt'ĭk) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
