From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
music
n 1: an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating
instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous
manner
2: any agreeable (pleasing and harmonious) sounds; "he fell
asleep to the music of the wind chimes" [syn: music,
euphony]
3: musical activity (singing or whistling etc.); "his music was
his central interest"
4: (music) the sounds produced by singers or musical instruments
(or reproductions of such sounds)
5: punishment for one's actions; "you have to face the music";
"take your medicine" [syn: music, medicine]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Music \Mu"sic\, n. [F. musique, fr. L. musica, Gr. ? (sc. ?),
any art over which the Muses presided, especially music,
lyric poetry set and sung to music, fr. ? belonging to Muses
or fine arts, fr. ? Muse.]
1. The science and the art of tones, or musical sounds, i.
e., sounds of higher or lower pitch, begotten of uniform
and synchronous vibrations, as of a string at various
degrees of tension; the science of harmonical tones which
treats of the principles of harmony, or the properties,
dependences, and relations of tones to each other; the art
of combining tones in a manner to please the ear.
[1913 Webster]
Note: Not all sounds are tones. Sounds may be unmusical and
yet please the ear. Music deals with tones, and with no
other sounds. See Tone.
[1913 Webster]
2.
(a) Melody; a rhythmical and otherwise agreeable
succession of tones.
(b) Harmony; an accordant combination of simultaneous
tones.
[1913 Webster]
3. The written and printed notation of a musical composition;
the score.
[1913 Webster]
4. Love of music; capacity of enjoying music.
[1913 Webster]
The man that hath no music in himself
Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds,
Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
5. (Zool.) A more or less musical sound made by many of the
lower animals. See Stridulation.
[1913 Webster]
Magic music, a game in which a person is guided in finding
a hidden article, or in doing a specific art required, by
music which is made more loud or rapid as he approaches
success, and slower as he recedes. --Tennyson.
Music box. See Musical box, under Musical.
Music hall, a place for public musical entertainments.
Music loft, a gallery for musicians, as in a dancing room
or a church.
Music of the spheres, the harmony supposed to be produced
by the accordant movement of the celestial spheres.
Music paper, paper ruled with the musical staff, for the
use of composers and copyists.
Music pen, a pen for ruling at one time the five lines of
the musical staff.
Music shell (Zool.), a handsomely colored marine gastropod
shell (Voluta musica) found in the East Indies; -- so
called because the color markings often resemble printed
music. Sometimes applied to other shells similarly marked.
To face the music, to meet any disagreeable necessity, such
as a reprimand for an error or misdeed, without flinching.
[Colloq. or Slang]
[1913 Webster]
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008) [foldoc]:
Music
<language, music> A series of languages for musical sound
synthesis from Bell Labs, 1960's. Versions: Music I through
Music V.
["An Acoustical Compiler for Music and Psychological Stimuli",
M.V. Mathews, Bell Sys Tech J 40 (1961)].
[Jargon File]
(1999-06-04)
From Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003) [jargon]:
music
n.
A common extracurricular interest of hackers (compare {science-fiction
fandom}, oriental food; see also filk). Hackish folklore has long
claimed that musical and programming abilities are closely related,
and there has been at least one large-scale statistical study that
supports this. Hackers, as a rule, like music and often develop
musical appreciation in unusual and interesting directions. Folk music
is very big in hacker circles; so is electronic music, and the sort of
elaborate instrumental jazz/rock that used to be called `progressive'
and isn't recorded much any more. The hacker's musical range tends to
be wide; many can listen with equal appreciation to (say) Talking
Heads, Yes, Gentle Giant, Pat Metheny, Scott Joplin, Tangerine Dream,
Dream Theater, King Sunny Ade, The Pretenders, Screaming Trees, or the
Brandenburg Concerti. It is also apparently true that hackerdom
includes a much higher concentration of talented amateur musicians
than one would expect from a similar-sized control group of mundane
types.