quodlibet

[ kwod-luh-bet ]

/ ˈkwɒd ləˌbɛt /

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noun

a subtle or elaborate argument or point of debate, usually on a theological or scholastic subject.

Music. a humorous composition consisting of two or more independent and harmonically complementary melodies, usually quotations of well-known tunes, played or sung together, usually to different texts, in a polyphonic arrangement.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of quodlibet

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Medieval Latin noun quodlibētum “whatever subject you like,” from Latin indefinite pronoun and adjective quod libet “what(ever) pleases, as you please”

OTHER WORDS FROM quodlibet

quod·li·bet·ic, quod·li·bet·i·cal, adjectivequod·li·bet·i·cl·ly, adverb

Words nearby quodlibet

quoad hoc, quo animo?, quod, quod erat demonstrandum, quod erat faciendum, quodlibet, quod vide, quoin, quoin post, quoit, quoits

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use quodlibet in a sentence

It was a quodlibet from “Gaudeamus igitur,” “Vive la joie,” and “God save the king.”
Walter Pieterse|Multatuli
In with him to the stocks; there let him sit till to-morrow morning, that Justice Quodlibet may examine him.
The Works of John Marston|John Marston
It is a Quodlibet, or strain of wit and invention screwed above the vulgar conceit, to beget admiration.
The Works of John Marston|John Marston
The climax was reached in the quodlibet, when all joined in a sort of comic chorus.
Sebastian Bach|Reginald Lane Poole

Sebastian Bach—The clan feeling—A sixteenth century quodlibet.
Bach|Charles Francis Abdy Williams

British Dictionary definitions for quodlibet

quodlibet

/ (ˈkwɒdlɪˌbɛt) /

noun

a light piece of music based on two or more popular tunes

a subtle argument, esp one prepared as an exercise on a theological topic

Derived forms of quodlibet

quodlibetical, adjectivequodlibetically, adverb

Word Origin for quodlibet

C14: from Latin, from quod what + libet pleases, that is, whatever you like

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