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neume

[ noom, nyoom ]
/ num, nyum /
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noun
any of various symbols representing from one to four notes, used in the musical notation of the Middle Ages but now employed solely in the notation of Gregorian chant in the liturgical books of the Roman Catholic Church.
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Origin of neume

1400–50; late Middle English <Medieval Latin neuma<Greek pneûma breath

OTHER WORDS FROM neume

neu·mat·ic [noo-mat-ik, nyoo-], /nuˈmæt ɪk, nyu-/, neumic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

British Dictionary definitions for neume

neume

neum

/ (njuːm) /

noun
music one of a series of notational symbols used before the 14th century

Derived forms of neume

neumic, adjective

Word Origin for neume

C15: from Medieval Latin neuma group of notes sung on one breath, from Greek pneuma breath
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
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