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polyphony

Pronunciation: /pəˈlɪf(ə)ni/

Definition of polyphony

noun (plural polyphonies)

[mass noun] Music
  • the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each forming an individual melody and harmonizing with each other: his love affair with 16th-century English polyphony
  • [count noun] a composition written, played, or sung in polyphony.
  • the ability of an electronic keyboard or synthesizer to play a number of notes simultaneously: the polyphony is a standard 32-voice

Derivatives

polyphonist

noun

polyphonous

adjective

Origin:

early 19th century: from Greek poluphōnia, from polu- 'many' + phōnē 'sound'

polyphony in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of polyphony in the US English dictionary