urtext

[ur-tekst, oo r-]

noun (sometimes initial capital letter)

the original form of a text, especially of a musical composition.

Origin of urtext

First recorded in 1950–55; ur-³ + text

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for urtext

Urtext

noun

the earliest form of a text as established by linguistic scholars as a basis for variants in later texts still in existence

an edition of a musical score showing the composer's intentions without later editorial interpolation

Word Origin for Urtext

from ur- original + text

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