Word
lied
/ˈɫaɪd/
Definition
n. a type of German song for a singer and a piano, usually part of classical music.
n. a German-language art song from the Romantic period, typically composed for solo voice with piano accompaniment.
Examples
“The singer performed a beautiful lied by Schubert.”
“During the recital, the soprano chose a lied that perfectly captured the melancholy of the original German poem.”
“The development of the nineteenth-century lied transformed the piano from a mere harmonic support into an equal partner in the musical storytelling, as seen in the works of Schumann and Brahms.”
Examples
simple
“The singer performed a beautiful lied by Schubert.”
contextual
“During the recital, the soprano chose a lied that perfectly captured the melancholy of the original German poem.”
complex
“The development of the nineteenth-century lied transformed the piano from a mere harmonic support into an equal partner in the musical storytelling, as seen in the works of Schumann and Brahms.”
Usage
The plural form is 'Lieder'.
Teaching tip
This is a highly specialised term; outside of classical music contexts, students will almost exclusively encounter 'lied' as the past tense of the verb 'lie'.
Real-World Examples
“I lied to sell copies of the book.” “I remind you that when a student has been found by the Honor Committee to have lied to or not been forthcoming with the Committee, the most common punishment is permanent expulsion from Yale.” Etymology
Borrowed from German Lied (“song”). Doublet of leed, which was inherited by Old English lēoþ (“poem”).
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/lied