lyrics

The word 'lyric' originates from the French 'lyrique', which in turn came from the Latin 'lyricus', meaning "of or for the lyre." This Latin term was borrowed from the Greek 'lyrikos', with the same meaning, derived from 'lyra' (lyre). In ancient Greece, poetry was often sung to the accompaniment of a lyre, and thus 'lyric poetry' referred to verse expressing personal emotion and meant to be sung. By the late 16th century, the term 'lyric' entered English as an adjective describing such poetry. The plural noun 'lyrics', referring specifically to the words of a song, emerged in the late 19th century, reflecting the shift from classical poetry to modern popular music while retaining the core idea of words intended for musical performance.

The word 'lyrics' is a simplex form derived from the adjective 'lyric'. It does not contain separable, meaningful morphemes in its modern English plural spelling.