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a cappella

noun, adv, adj — 6 senses

a cappella

noun

UK /ˌæ.kəˈpɛl.ə/ · US /ˌɑ kəˈpɛl.ə/

Etymology Borrowed from Italian a cappella (“in the manner of the [Sistine] chapel”), referring to non-instrumental choirs.

1

Entertainment, Lifestyle, Music A vocal performance with no instrumental accompaniment.

Derived terms
percapella

a cappella

adv

Etymology Borrowed from Italian a cappella (“in the manner of the [Sistine] chapel”), referring to non-instrumental choirs.

1

Entertainment, Lifestyle, Music In the manner of a choir with no instrumental accompaniment.

  • Groups of teens singing a cappella on street corners got recording contracts.
2

Entertainment, Lifestyle, Music Obsolete In alla breve time.

a cappella

adj

Etymology Borrowed from Italian a cappella (“in the manner of the [Sistine] chapel”), referring to non-instrumental choirs.

1

Entertainment, Lifestyle, Music Singing solely or mainly without instrumental accompaniment.

  • An a cappella group sang during the wedding reception.
2

Entertainment, Lifestyle, Music US Related to a form of purely vocal music mostly associated with American college performance groups.

  • Socially, a cappella groups tend to be tight-knit ensembles in which close interpersonal relationships are formed.2012, Joshua S. Duchan, Powerful Voices, page 2:
3

Entertainment, Lifestyle, Music Obsolete alla breve.

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.