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symphony

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Symphony
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sym⋅pho⋅ny

  [sim-fuh-nee]
Use symphony in a Sentence
–noun, plural -nies.
1. Music.
a. an elaborate instrumental composition in three or more movements, similar in form to a sonata but written for an orchestra and usually of far grander proportions and more varied elements.
b. an instrumental passage occurring in a vocal composition, or between vocal movements in a composition.
c. an instrumental piece, often in several movements, forming the overture to an opera or the like.
2. symphony orchestra.
3. a concert performed by a symphony orchestra.
4. anything characterized by a harmonious combination of elements, esp. an effective combination of colors.
5. harmony of sounds.
6. Archaic. agreement; concord.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME symfonye < OF symphonie < L symphōnia concert < Gk symphōnía harmony. See sym-, -phony
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Symphony
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sym·pho·ny   (sĭm'fə-nē)   
n.   pl. sym·pho·nies

  1. Music

    1. An extended piece in three or more movements for symphony orchestra.

    2. An instrumental passage in a vocal or choral composition.

    3. An instrumental overture or interlude, as in early opera.

    4. A symphony orchestra.

    5. An orchestral concert.

  2. Music

    1. A symphony orchestra.

    2. An orchestral concert.

  3. Harmony, especially of sound or color.

  4. Something characterized by a harmonious combination of elements.


[Middle English symphonye, harmony, from Old French symphonie, from Latin symphōnia, from Greek sumphōniā, from sumphōnos, harmonious : sun-, syn- + phōnē, sound; see bhā-2 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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Cultural Dictionary

symphony

An extended musical composition for orchestra in several movements, typically four. Among the composers especially known for their symphonies are Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Franz Josef Haydn, Gustav Mahler, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

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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Word Origin & History

symphony 
c.1290, the name of various musical instruments, from O.Fr. symphonie "harmony" (12c.), from L. symphonia "a unison of sounds, harmony," from Gk. symphonia "harmony, concert," from symphonos "harmonious," from syn- "together" + phone "voice, sound" (see fame). Meaning "harmony of sounds" is attested from c.1440; sense of "music in parts" is from 1599. "It was only after the advent of Haydn that this word began to mean a sonata for full orchestra. Before that time it meant a prelude, postlude, or interlude, or any short instrumental work." ["Elson's Music Dictionary"] Meaning "elaborate orchestral composition" first attested 1789 (symphonic in this sense is from 1864). Elliptical for "symphony orchestra" from 1926.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Computing Dictionary

Symphony tool, product
Lotus Development's successor to their Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet. Unlike 1-2-3, Symphony allowed a limited form of multitasking. The user could switch manually between it and MS-DOS and separate graph and spreadsheet windows could be opened simultaneously and would be updated automatically when cells were changed. In addition, a small word processor could be opened in a third window. These all could be printed out on the same report. Symphony could read and write Lotus 1-2-3 files and had interactive graphical output and a word processor, thus making it effectively a report generator. Unlike 1-2-3, Symphony was not a great commercial success.
(1995-03-28)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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