Advertisement

Advertisement

hemiola

[ hem-ee-oh-luh ]

noun

, Music.
  1. a rhythmic pattern of syncopated beats with two beats in the time of three or three beats in the time of two.


hemiola

/ ˌhɛmɪˈɒlɪk; ˌhɛmɪˈəʊlə /

noun

  1. music a rhythmic device involving the superimposition of, for example, two notes in the time of three Also calledsesquialtera
“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


Discover More

Derived Forms

  • hemiolic, adjective
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of hemiola1

1590–1600; < Medieval Latin hēmiolia < Greek hēmiolía the ratio of one and a half to one, feminine of hēmiolíos half as large again, equivalent to hēmi- hemi- + ( h ) ól ( os ) whole + -ios adj. suffix
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of hemiola1

New Latin, from Greek hēmiolia ratio of one to one and a half, from hemi- + ( h ) olos whole
Discover More

Example Sentences

Music aficionados recognize this rhythm as a triplet or “hemiola”: the playing of two different musical patterns simultaneously.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


Hemingwayesquehemiopia