Music: The word 'museum' is a direct… | etymologist.ai
music
/ˈmjuː.zɪk/·noun·c. 1250 CE (in English)·Established
Origin
From Greek 'mousike' (art of theMuses) — literally the Muses' art, whose name may trace to PIE *men- (to think).
Definition
The art of arranging sounds in time through melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre. Also refers to vocal or instrumental sounds possessing rhythm, melody, or harmony, or to the written or printed notation representing such sounds.
The Full Story
Greekc. 6th century BCEwell-attested
From Greek mousikē technē (μουσικὴ τέχνη), meaning 'the art of the Muses.' The Muses (Mousai, Μοῦσαι) were the nine goddesses who presided over the arts and sciences in Greek mythology. The word mousikē originally encompassed not just sound but all the arts over which the Muses presided, including
Did you know?
Theword 'museum' is a direct sibling of 'music' — both derive from the Muses. A mouseion in ancientGreecewas literally a 'place of the Muses,' originally a philosophical institution rather than a gallery. The famousLibrary of Alexandria was formally called the Mouseion,
- ('to think'), connecting the Muses to the faculty of mind and memory. Key roots: Mousa (Μοῦσα) (Greek: "a Muse, a goddess of the arts"), *men- (Proto-Indo-European: "to think, to remember").