counterpoint

[ koun-ter-point ]
See synonyms for counterpoint on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Music. the art of combining melodies.

  2. Music. the texture resulting from the combining of individual melodic lines.

  1. a melody composed to be combined with another melody.

  2. Also called coun·ter·point rhythm [koun-ter-point rith-uhm] /ˈkaʊn tərˌpɔɪnt ˌrɪð əm/ .Prosody. syncopation (def. 2).

  3. any element that is juxtaposed and contrasted with another.

verb (used with object)
  1. to emphasize or clarify by contrast or juxtaposition.

Origin of counterpoint

1
1400–50; late Middle English <Middle French contrepoint, translation of Medieval Latin (cantus) contrāpūnctus literally, (song) pointed or pricked against, referring to notes of an accompaniment written over or under the notes of a plainsong. See counter-, point

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for counterpoint

counterpoint

/ (ˈkaʊntəˌpɔɪnt) /


noun
  1. the technique involving the simultaneous sounding of two or more parts or melodies

  2. a melody or part combined with another melody or part: See also descant (def. 1)

  1. the musical texture resulting from the simultaneous sounding of two or more melodies or parts

  2. strict counterpoint the application of the rules of counterpoint as an academic exercise

  3. a contrasting or interacting element, theme, or item; foil

  4. prosody the use of a stress or stresses at variance with the regular metrical stress

verb
  1. (tr) to set in contrast

Origin of counterpoint

1
C15: from Old French contrepoint, from contre- counter- + point dot, note in musical notation, that is, an accompaniment set against the notes of a melody

Other words from counterpoint

  • Related adjective: contrapuntal

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

Cultural definitions for counterpoint

counterpoint

The use of two or more melodies at the same time in a piece of music; it was an important part of baroque music. Certain composers, such as Johann Sebastian Bach, have been especially skillful at counterpoint.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.