- Music. polyphonic composition; counterpoint.
- Phonetics. representation of different sounds by the same letter or symbol.
Origin of polyphony
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for polyphonous
Historical Examples of polyphonous
This multiplicity of sounds, this polyphonous character attached to their signs, became a cause of embarrassment even to them.
- polyphonic style of composition or a piece of music utilizing it
- the use of polyphones in a writing system
Word Origin for polyphony
C19: from Greek poluphōnia diversity of tones, from poly- + phōnē speech, sound
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper