prosody

noun

pros·​o·​dy ˈprä-sə-dē  -zə- 

plural prosodies

1

: the study of versification

especially : the systematic study of metrical structure

2

: a particular system, theory, or style of versification

3

: the rhythmic and intonational aspect of language

prosodist

ˈprä-sə-dist 

-zə-

noun

Examples of prosody in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This technology not only restored his ability to speak with natural prosody and emotional nuance but also enabled him to sing, a world first. —Charlie Fink, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025

Advanced systems like those used by NBC often include phoneme-level alignment to capture individual sounds of speech and prosody modeling to mimic human pitch, loudness, tempo, and rhythm. —Giovanni Malloy, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025

Another posted that Eliana was demonstrating her skills of prosody—the patterns of stress and intonation in a language. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025

Scientists had long thought that deciphering those qualities — collectively known as prosody — happened in the superior temporal gyrus, an area of the brain associated with speech perception. —Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 3 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin prosodia accent of a syllable, from Greek prosōidia song sung to instrumental music, accent, from pros in addition to + ōidē song — more at pros-, ode

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

prosody

noun

pros·​o·​dy ˈpräs-əd-ē 

plural prosodies

: the study of the structure of poetry