antiphon
Americannoun
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a verse or song to be chanted or sung in response.
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Ecclesiastical.
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a psalm, hymn, or prayer sung in alternate parts.
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a verse or a series of verses sung as a prelude or conclusion to some part of the service.
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noun
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a short passage, usually from the Bible, recited or sung as a response after certain parts of a liturgical service
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a psalm, hymn, etc, chanted or sung in alternate parts
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any response or answer
Etymology
Origin of antiphon
1490–1500; < Medieval Latin antiphōna responsive singing < Greek ( tà ) antíphōna, neuter plural of antíphōnos sounding in answer, equivalent to anti- anti- + phōn ( ḗ ) sound + -os adj. suffix. anthem
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Between the two versions of “Spiritus sanctus vivificans vita,” an antiphon by Hildegard von Bingen, for example, or between that antiphon’s simplicity and the angular density of George Enescu’s “Fantaisie concertante.”
From New York Times • Dec. 28, 2022
“If you strip it down and go back to what the form should be,” Mr. Skinner said, “it’s about the size of a large-scale votive antiphon, the staple compositional endeavor of most composers.”
From New York Times • Dec. 30, 2020
Some of them joined in the singing of the final antiphon, and others took turns walking away from the stage while playing, letting the sound swirl through space like incense.
From New York Times • Jan. 3, 2013
When De Gasperi outlined the points of his new government's program in the Chamber of Deputies, Communist deputies shrilled a dissenting antiphon.
From Time Magazine Archive
Girra, firegod, 337, 9. gišburru, a wood, symbol of firegod, 337, 9. gisgigal, antiphon, 251, 24; 254, 23; 283, 26; 284, 10.
From Sumerian Liturgies and Psalms by Langdon, Stephen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
