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Lyric

3 stages from Greek to English.

Today it means expressing personal emotion; the words of a song

Where does the word "lyric" come from? It comes from Greek lyrikos, passing through Latin before entering English (1580s).

lyrikos→lyricus→lyric

Greek · ancient

sung to the lyre; Sappho of Lesbos was the most famous lyric poet

Latin · ancient

Horace imitated the Greek lyric metres

English · 1580s

"expressing feeling; words of a song"

the plural 'lyrics' for the words of a song dates from the 1870s

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Read the full story

Lyric’s story begins in Greek: lyrikos meant “for the lyre.” Sung to the lyre; Sappho of Lesbos was the most famous lyric poet. By ancient, the word had taken hold in Latin as lyricus. Horace imitated the Greek lyric metres. It reached English by 1580s as lyric. The plural 'lyrics' for the words of a song dates from the 1870s. Today, lyric means expressing personal emotion; the words of a song.