Rhythm is the pattern of beats or sounds in music, speech, or movement, especially the regular repetition of strong and weak beats. Your heartbeat, walking steps, and favorite songs all have rhythms.
From Latin *rhythmus*, from Greek *rhythmos* “measured flow, movement,” related to *rhein* “to flow.” It originally referred to any regular, flowing pattern, not just music.
The tricky spelling—with that silent *h*—comes from Greek, not from any sound you actually hear. Rhythm shows up everywhere, from drumbeats to brain waves to breathing, so your whole body is basically a rhythm machine.
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