polyphony
nounUK /pəˈlɪfəni/
Etymology Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek πολυφωνία (poluphōnía); equivalent to poly- + -phony.
1
Entertainment, Lifestyle, Music Musical texture consisting of several independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice (monophony) or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords (homophony).
2
Literature, Media, Publishing The quality of a text of being able to be read in more than one way.
- the polyphony of a biblical passage
- Derived terms
- micropolyphony, polyphonist
- Related terms
- cacophony, heterophony, polyphonal, polyphonic, symphony, orchestration