monophonic
Americanadjective
-
Music. of or relating to monophony.
-
Also of or noting a system of sound recording and reproduction using only a single channel.
adjective
-
Also: monaural. Sometimes shortened to: mono. (of a system of broadcasting, recording, or reproducing sound) using only one channel between source and loudspeaker Compare stereophonic
-
music of or relating to a style of musical composition consisting of a single melodic line See also monody
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of monophonic
First recorded in 1880–85; monophon(y) + -ic
Vocabulary lists containing monophonic
Music - Middle School
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Music - High School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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.
The 170 is an analog monophonic synthesizer with a programmable sequencer that comes with a 70-page illustrated manual, including several sample patch diagrams to get you started.Price:
From The Verge • Nov. 5, 2019
The Nintendo Entertainment System’s programmable sound generator—Kondo’s orchestra—had just three monophonic sound channels, a noise channel, and a rarely used sample channel.
From Slate • Jun. 25, 2015
With their monophonic synth-prodding, I might have disdained Depeche Mode, but in his own way, the all-conquering Shakin' Stevens seemed no less lazy to me.
From The Guardian • Nov. 13, 2012
Byzantine chant and descendants like Gregorian chant and Russian znamenny chant are traditionally monophonic.
From New York Times • Aug. 6, 2010
But what all this chant had in common was that it was one memorised, meandering tune with no accompaniment and no harmonising, the Greek term for which is monophonic: one voice.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
