plagal
plagal definition
pla·gal (plā′gəl)
adjective
- designating a mode having a range about a fifth above and a fifth below a control note
- designating a cadence with the subdominant chord immediately preceding the tonic chord, as in the amen of a religious hymn
Etymology: ML plagalis < plaga, plagal mode < MGr plagios, plagal (in Gr, oblique, slanting) < Gr plagos, a side, akin to pelagos, the sea: see pelagic
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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