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heterophony

[ het-uh-rof-uh-nee ]
/ ˌhɛt əˈrɒf ə ni /

noun Music.

the simultaneous performance of the same melodic line, with slight individual variations, by two or more performers.

Nearby words

  1. heterophemia,
  2. heterophemy,
  3. heterophil,
  4. heterophil antigen,
  5. heterophonia,
  6. heterophoria,
  7. heterophthalmus,
  8. heterophyes,
  9. heterophyiasis,
  10. heterophyllous

Origin of heterophony

First recorded in 1940–45; hetero- + -phony
Related formshet·er·o·phon·ic [het-er-uh-fon-ik] /ˌhɛt ər əˈfɒn ɪk/, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for heterophony

heterophony

/ (ˌhɛtəˈrɒfənɪ) /

noun

the simultaneous performance of different versions of the same melody by different voices or instruments
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