symphony

[ sim-fuh-nee ]
/ ˈsɪm fə ni /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR symphony ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural sym·pho·nies.

Music.
  1. an elaborate instrumental composition in three or more movements, similar in form to a sonata but written for an orchestra and usually of far grander proportions and more varied elements.
  2. an instrumental passage occurring in a vocal composition, or between vocal movements in a composition.
  3. an instrumental piece, often in several movements, forming the overture to an opera or the like.
symphony orchestra.
a concert performed by a symphony orchestra.
anything characterized by a harmonious combination of elements, especially an effective combination of colors.
harmony of sounds.
Archaic. agreement; concord.

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Origin of symphony

1250–1300; Middle English symfonye < Old French symphonie < Latin symphōnia concert < Greek symphōnía harmony. See sym-, -phony

OTHER WORDS FROM symphony

pre·sym·pho·ny, noun, plural pre·sym·pho·nies.

Words nearby symphony

symphonic poem, symphonie fantastique, symphonious, symphonist, symphonize, symphony, symphony orchestra, symphysial, symphysion, symphysiotomy, symphysis
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to symphony

music, orchestra, concert, harmony

Example sentences from the Web for symphony

British Dictionary definitions for symphony

symphony
/ (ˈsɪmfənɪ) /

noun plural -nies

Derived forms of symphony

symphonic (sɪmˈfɒnɪk), adjectivesymphonically, adverb

Word Origin for symphony

C13: from Old French symphonie, from Latin symphōnia concord, concert, from Greek sumphōnia, from syn- + phōnē sound
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

Cultural definitions for symphony

symphony

An extended musical composition for orchestra in several movements, typically four. Among the composers especially known for their symphonies are Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Franz Josef Haydn, Gustav Mahler, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.