phrase
phrase
(frāz) noun
Abbr. phr.
1.
A sequence of words intended to have meaning.
2.
a. A characteristic way or mode of expression. b. A brief, apt, and cogent expression.
3. A word or group of words read or spoken as a unit and separated by pauses or other junctures.
4. Grammar. Two or more words in sequence that form a syntactic unit that is less than a complete sentence.
5. Music. A segment of a composition, usually consisting of four or eight measures.
6. A series of dance movements forming a unit in a choreographic pattern.
verb
phrased, phrasing, phrases
verb
, transitive
1.
To express orally or in writing: The speaker phrased several opinions.
2.
To pace or mark off (something read aloud or spoken) by pauses.
3.
Music. a. To divide (a passage) into phrases. b. To combine (notes) in a phrase.
verb
, intransitive
1.
To make or render phrases, as in reading aloud.
2.
Music. To perform a passage with the correct phrasing.
[Latin phrasis, diction, from Greek, speech, diction, phrase, from phrazein, to point out, show.]
phras
ʹal adjective
phras
ʹally adverb