urtext
noun
the original form of a text, especially of a musical composition.
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urtext
American
[ur-tekst, oor-]
/ ˈɜrˌtɛkst, ˈʊər- /
noun
(sometimes initial capital letter)
Urtext
British
/ ˈuːrtɛkst /
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
Etymology
Origin of urtext
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.
“Bridget Jones’s Diary,” by Helen Fielding, about a contemporary London singleton looking for love, is the urtext here.
From Washington Post • Nov. 10, 2022
He said, “We have an 18-volume set of the complete keyboard works in urtext editions; would you like one?”
From New York Times • Jan. 18, 2022
The Netherlands’ capacity to churn out tales of international squad discord is almost unrivalled but we only have to look back 23 years for the urtext, which was written on English shores at Euro 96.
From The Guardian • Nov. 12, 2019
The Electric Pickle video is the urtext for the many delightfully stupid science-ish videos that have followed over the years.
From Slate • Apr. 10, 2018
Joe's mission thus becomes the latest translation of the sacred sociopathic-cinema urtext that is "Taxi Driver," and what it lacks in originality, it makes up for in craft, commitment and brooding intensity.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2018
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.
