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accompaniment

[ uh-kuhm-puh-ni-muh nt, uh-kuhmp-ni- ]
/ əˈkʌm pə nɪ mənt, əˈkʌmp nɪ- /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR accompaniment ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

something incidental or added for ornament, symmetry, etc.
Music. a part in a composition designed to serve as background and support for more important parts.

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“Compliment” and “complement” had a shared meaning a long time ago, but today they are no longer interchangeable.
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Origin of accompaniment

First recorded in 1725–35; accompany + -ment

OTHER WORDS FROM accompaniment

non·ac·com·pa·ni·ment, noun

Words nearby accompaniment

accommodation train, accommodationist, accommodative, accommodative asthenopia, accommodator, accompaniment, accompanist, accompany, accompanying vein, accompanyist, accomplice
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to accompaniments

concomitant, attribute, complement, accessory, adjunct, supplement, augmentation, attachment, appendage, attendant, appurtenance, enrichment, enhancement, backing, back, instrument, part, harmony, background

Example sentences from the Web for accompaniments

British Dictionary definitions for accompaniments

accompaniment
/ (əˈkʌmpənɪmənt, əˈkʌmpnɪ-) /

noun

something that accompanies or is served or used with something else
something inessential or subsidiary that is added, as for ornament or symmetry
music a subordinate part for an instrument, voices, or an orchestra
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012