polyphony
Americannoun
-
Music. polyphonic composition; counterpoint.
-
Phonetics. representation of different sounds by the same letter or symbol.
noun
-
polyphonic style of composition or a piece of music utilizing it
-
the use of polyphones in a writing system
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of polyphony
First recorded in 1820–30, polyphony is from the Greek word polyphōnía variety of tones. See poly-, -phony
Vocabulary lists containing polyphony
Common Senses: Phon ("Sound")
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 - Middle 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!
Music - High School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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 children have their own afflictions, as does the husband-to-be, all shared in a polyphony of severed tongues.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2023
Later, polyphony became increasingly common – when two, three or four voices would each sing different melodies, adding to the complexity of the sound.
From Salon • Oct. 22, 2022
And more than ever, Björk places her voice within a teeming musical ecosystem that’s likely to include a tangle of instrumental polyphony and layered vocals, with every element of the mix insisting on multiplicity.
From New York Times • Sep. 29, 2022
Soon the others start to sing, too, their voices overlapping to create a rapturous polyphony.
From Scientific American • May 23, 2022
By the end of the fourteenth century, nearly all of music’s vital components had been discovered: notation, both melodic and rhythmic; structural organisation; and polyphony, the layering of voices on top of one another.
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.
