duple time

American

[doo-puhl tahym, dyoo‐] / ˈdu pəl ˌtaɪm, ˈdyu‐ /

noun

Music.

time or rhythm characterized by two beats to the measure.

duple time British

noun

musical time with two beats in each bar

"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 duple time

First recorded in 1715–25

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.

A saltarello is a traditional Italian dance, usually in compound duple time.

From The Guardian

And the mathematical proportions applied to meter changes — two units in duple time equal three in triple time — generally led to slower tempos.

From New York Times

This, of course, means duple time only, and Bysshe recognizes no other.

From Project Gutenberg

Adherents of musical theories in the interpretation of verse may prefer to speak of "duple time" instead of iambic-trochaic metres, and of "triple" time for anapests and dactyls.

From Project Gutenberg

I shall leave with this song, which I'm reliably informed is tangentially related to today's action by virtue of being in compound duple time.

From The Guardian

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023