homophony

American  

[huh-mof-uh-nee, hoh-] / həˈmɒf ə ni, hoʊ- /

noun

1. the quality or state of being homophonic.

2. homophonic music.

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homophony British  

/ hɒˈmɒfənɪ /

noun

1. the linguistic phenomenon whereby words of different origins become identical in pronunciation

2. part music composed in a homophonic style

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Etymology

Origin of homophony

1770–80; < Greek homophōnía unison, equivalent to homóphōn ( os ) homophonous + -ia -y ³

Example Sentences

Common indicators for homophony are words relating to sound or speech: “heard,” “to an audience,” “said,” and the like.

From The New Yorker • Nov. 26, 2019

At a time when homophony was coming to the fore—melody over accompaniment—Duarte’s contrapuntal interplay of lines would have had a somewhat old-fashioned sound.

From The New Yorker • Feb. 11, 2019

The homophony of “Devine” and “the Vine” was, of course, more than mere coincidence.

From Salon • Oct. 21, 2015

In most well-written homophony, the parts that are not melody may still have a lot of melodic interest.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

It has been found; indeed, that the homophony of words and the homomorphy of ideographic pictures is noticeable in opposite significations, the conceptions arising from the opposition itself.

From Sign Language Among North American Indians Compared With That Among Other Peoples And Deaf-Mutes First Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1879-1880, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1881, pages 263-552 by Mallery, Garrick