[ahr-ee-uh, air-ee-uh] 
| 1. | an air or melody. |
| 2. | an elaborate melody sung solo with accompaniment, as in an opera or oratorio. |
[ahr-ee-uh, uh-rahy-uh] | a nymph, the mother of Miletus, by Apollo. |
| a suffix occurring in scientific terms of Latin origin, esp. in names of biological genera and groups: filaria. |
| a·ri·a (ä'rē-ə) n.
[Italian, from Latin āera, accusative of āēr, air, from Greek āēr; see wer-1 in Indo-European roots.] |
| a·ri·a·ry (ä'rē-ä'rē) n. pl. a·ri·a See Table at currency. [Malagasy, from Arabic al-riyāl : al, the + riyāl, silver coin, any of various units of currency used in the Middle East (from Spanish real, real; see real2).] |
A piece of music for one voice (or occasionally two voices) in an opera, oratorio, or cantata. In contrast with recitative singing, arias are melodious; in contrast with ordinary songs, arias are usually elaborate.
Note: Some composers, such as Richard Wagner, have felt that arias interrupt the action of opera too much and hence have written operas without them.
| ARIA advanced range instrumented aircraft |
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