Definition of "melody" [mel•o•dy]

• A pleasing succession or arrangement of sounds. (noun)
• Musical quality: the melody of verse. (noun)
• Music A rhythmically organized sequence of single tones so related to one another as to make up a particular phrase or idea. (noun)
• Music Structure with respect to the arrangement of single notes in succession. (noun)
• Music The leading part or the air in a composition with accompaniment. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The melody flows or soars like the song of a bird, because it is the free expression, not of musical fantasy, as such (the unconscious play of tonal fancy), but the flow of _melody_, _song_, the soaring of spirit in some one particular direction, floating upon buoyant pinions, and in directions well conceived and sure."
• "They start with an instrumental prelude where the main melody is played on the harmonium, accompanied by the tabla, and which may include improvised variations of the melody."
• "The main melody is quite pretty, and the beat is one that could definitely work on the dancefloor."