antiphon

See also: Antiphon

English

Etymology

From French antiphone or Medieval Latin antiphōna, from Ancient Greek ἀντίφωνα (antíphōna, “responses, musical accords”), neuter plural substantive of ἀντίφωνος (antíphōnos, “concordant”) from ἀντί (antí, “in return”) + φωνή (phōnḗ, “sound”). Compare anthem.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈæntɪfən/

Noun

antiphon (plural antiphons)

  1. A devotional piece of music sung responsively.
  2. A response or reply.
    • 2007, Barbara Everett, ‘Making and Breaking in Shakespeare's Romances’, in the London Review of Books 29:6, page 20:
      The Clown […] says: ‘And so we wept; and there was the first gentleman-like tears that ever we shed’; to which his father, the Shepherd, adds the comfortable antiphon, ‘We may live, son, to shed many more.’

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.