Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Nearby Entries
Definition of polyphonic - 3 dictionary results
100% Free Ringtones
 Get Thousands of Free Ringtones & Wallpapers Sent Right to Your Phone
 www.FreeRingtoneLocker.com

pol⋅y⋅phon⋅ic

  [pol-ee-fon-ik]
Use polyphonic in a Sentence
–adjective
1. consisting of many voices or sounds.
2. Music.
a. having two or more voices or parts, each with an independent melody, but all harmonizing; contrapuntal (opposed to homophonic ).
b. pertaining to music of this kind.
c. capable of producing more than one tone at a time, as an organ or a harp.
3. Phonetics. having more than one phonetic value, as the letter s, that is voiced (z) in nose and unvoiced (s) in salt.
Origin:
1775–85; polyphone + -ic

Related forms:
pol⋅y⋅phon⋅i⋅cal⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To polyphonic
pol·y·phon·ic   (pŏl'ē-fŏn'ĭk)   
adj.  
  1. Music Of, relating to, or characterized by polyphony.
  2. Linguistics Having two or more phonetic values.
pol'y·phon'i·cal·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Polyphonic

Pol`y*phon"ic\, a. [Gr. ?; poly`s many + ? sound: cf. F. polyphone.]

1. Having a multiplicity of sounds.

2. Characterized by polyphony; as, Assyrian polyphonic characters.

3. (Mus.) Consisting of several tone series, or melodic parts, progressing simultaneously according to the laws of counterpoint; contrapuntal; as, a polyphonic composition; -- opposed to homophonic, or monodic.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see polyphonic on Thesaurus | Reference
100% Free Ringtones
 Get Thousands of Free Ringtones & Wallpapers Sent Right to Your Phone
 www.FreeRingtoneLocker.com