counterpoint
Use Counterpoint in a sentence
tərˌpɔɪnt noun
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.
5.
any element that is juxtaposed and contrasted with another.
verb (used with object)
6.
to emphasize or clarify by contrast or juxtaposition.
00:10
Counterpoint
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is skedaddle. Does it mean:
| to bark; yelp. |
| to run away hurriedly; flee. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To counterpoint
Collins
World English Dictionary
counterpoint (ˈkaʊntəˌpɔɪnt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | the technique involving the simultaneous sounding of two or more parts or melodies |
| 2. | See also descant a melody or part combined with another melody or part |
| 3. | the musical texture resulting from the simultaneous sounding of two or more melodies or parts |
| 4. | strict counterpoint the application of the rules of counterpoint as an academic exercise |
| 5. | a contrasting or interacting element, theme, or item; foil |
| 6. | prosody the use of a stress or stresses at variance with the regular metrical stress |
| —vb | |
| 7. | (tr) to set in contrast |
| Related: contrapuntal | |
| [C15: from Old French contrepoint, from contre- | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
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" (see pungent). 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, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
Occasionally, the wood thrush launches into a series of sustained intonations, a haunting counterpoint to his primary song.
The archival material provides a counterpoint to the contemporary footage of the landscape.
Even the exuberant pop music on the soundtrack is used as a counterpoint to the characters' enclosed meanness and malaise.
Blue-green pots on the patio provide a cool counterpoint to a red trellis on the shed wall.
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