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Definition of plagal - 2 dictionary results

pla⋅gal

  [pley-guhl]
Use plagal in a Sentence
–adjective Music.
(of a Gregorian mode) having the final in the middle of the compass. Compare authentic (def. 5a).
Origin:
1590–1600; < ML plagālis, equiv. to plag(a) plagal mode (appar. back formation from plagius plagal; see plage ) + -ālis -al 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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pla·gal   (plā'gəl)   
adj.   Music
Of or being a medieval mode having a range from the fourth below to the fifth above its final tone.

[Medieval Latin plagālis, from plaga, plagal mode, from plagius, plagal, from Medieval Greek plagios (ēkhos), plagal (mode), from Greek, oblique, from plagos, side; see plāk-1 in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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