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polyphony definition

po·lypho·ny (pə lif′ə nē)

noun

  1. multiplicity of sounds, as in an echo
  2. Music a combining of a number of independent but harmonizing melodies, as in a fugue or canon; counterpoint
  3. Phonet. the representation of two or more sounds by the same letter, symbol, or group of symbols, as the group th as in then and in thin

Etymology: Gr polyphōnia: see poly- & -phony

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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