HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.

Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.

guide to the dictionary

(lĭrĭk)

Share:

adj.

1.

a. Of or relating to a category of poetry that expresses subjective thoughts and feelings, often in a songlike style or form.

b. Relating to or constituting a poem in this category, such as a sonnet or ode.

c. Of or relating to a writer of poems in this category.

2. Lyrical.

3. Music

a. Having a singing voice of light volume and modest range.

b. Of, relating to, or being musical drama, especially opera: the lyric stage.

c. Having a pleasing succession of sounds; melodious.

d. Of or relating to the lyre or harp.

e. Appropriate for accompaniment by the lyre.

n.

1. A lyric poem.

2. often lyrics Music The words of a song.

[French lyrique, of a lyre, from Old French, from Latin lyricus, from Greek lurikos, from lura, lyre.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

American Heritage Dictionary Products