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counterpoint
8 dictionary results for: Counterpoint
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
coun·ter·point 
[koun-ter-point] Pronunciation Key
[koun-ter-point] Pronunciation Key –noun
–verb (used with object)
| 1. | Music. the art of combining melodies. |
| 2. | Music. the texture resulting from the combining of individual melodic lines. |
| 3. | a melody composed to be combined with another melody. |
| 4. | Also called counterpoint rhythm. Prosody. syncopation (def. 2). |
| 5. | any element that is juxtaposed and contrasted with another. |
| 6. | to emphasize or clarify by contrast or juxtaposition. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| coun·ter·point
(koun'tər-point') Pronunciation Key
n.
tr.v. coun·ter·point·ed, coun·ter·point·ing, coun·ter·points
|
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
counterpoint
counterpoint
1423, of stitching, from O.Fr. cuilte contrepointe "quilt stitched through and through," altered from coute pointe, from M.L. culcita puncta "quilted mattress," from L. culcita "cushion" + puncta, fem. pp. of pungere "to prick, stab." Of music, 1530, from M.Fr. contrepoint, from M.L. contrapunctum, from L. contra + puncta, with reference to the indication of musical notes by "pricking" with a pointed pen over or under the original melody on a manuscript.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| counterpoint | |
noun | |
| 1. | a musical form involving the simultaneous sound of two or more melodies |
verb | |
| 1. | to show differences when compared; be different; "the students contrast considerably in their artistic abilities" [syn: contrast] |
| 2. | write in counterpoint; "Bach perfected the art of counterpointing" |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source - Share This
counterpoint
counterpoint
The use of two or more melodies at the same time in a piece of music; it was an important part of baroque music. Certain composers, such as Johann Sebastian Bach, have been especially skillful at counterpoint.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Counterpoint
Coun"ter*point`\ (koun"t?r-point`), n. [Counter- + point.] An opposite point [Obs.] --Sir E. Sandys.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Counterpoint
Coun"ter*point`\, n. [F. contrepoint; cf. It. contrappunto. Cf. Contrapuntal.] (Mus.) (a) The setting of note against note in harmony; the adding of one or more parts to a given canto fermo or melody. (b) The art of polyphony, or composite melody, i. e., melody not single, but moving attended by one or more related melodies. (c) Music in parts; part writing; harmony; polyphonic music. See Polyphony. Counterpoint, an invention equivalent to a new creation of music. --Whewell.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Counterpoint
Coun"ter*point`\, n. [OF. contrepoincte, corruption of earlier counstepointe, countepointe, F. courtepointe, fr. L. culcita cushion, mattress (see Quilt, and cf. Cushion) + puncta, fem. p. p. of pungere to prick (see Point). The word properly meant a stitched quilt, with the colors broken one into another.] A coverlet; a cover for a bed, often stitched or broken into squares; a counterpane. See 1st Counterpane. Embroidered coverlets or counterpoints of purple silk. --Sir T. North.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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