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antiphon

American  
[an-tuh-fon] / ˈæn təˌfɒn /

noun

  1. a verse or song to be chanted or sung in response.

  2. Ecclesiastical.

    1. a psalm, hymn, or prayer sung in alternate parts.

    2. a verse or a series of verses sung as a prelude or conclusion to some part of the service.

antiphon British  
/ ˈæntɪfən /

noun

  1. a short passage, usually from the Bible, recited or sung as a response after certain parts of a liturgical service

  2. a psalm, hymn, etc, chanted or sung in alternate parts

  3. any response or answer

"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

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

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.