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  1. a cappella love

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. adv. Music Without instrumental accompaniment.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. In the style of church or chapel music. Applied to compositions sung without instrumental accompaniment, or with an accompaniment in unison with the vocal part: as, a mass a cappella.
  2. n. In music, noting a species of time which employs four minims or half-notes in each measure.

Wiktionary

  1. adv. obsolete, music In alla breve time.
  2. adj. obsolete, music alla breve.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. In church or chapel style; -- said of compositions sung in the old church style, without instrumental accompaniment.
  2. A time indication, equivalent to alla breve.

WordNet 3.0

  1. adv. without musical accompaniment
  2. adj. sung without instrumental accompaniment

Etymologies

  1. From Italian alla cappella ("in the manner of the [Sistine] chapel"), referring to non-instrumental choirs; from Latin a-, ad, "to", + cappella, "chapel". (Wiktionary)
  2. Italian : a, in the manner of + cappella, chapel, choir. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

  • “Next morning outside the hotel two ancient sisters in long overcoats, one tall, one short, stand on the pavement singing folksongs in a cappella harmony.”

    Simon & Schuster: Wildwood

  • “The lyrics to one of my favorite songs, More Than a Paycheck, by the a cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock, go like this: We bring more than a paycheck to our loved ones and families...”

    Simon & Schuster: THE STORY OF STUFF

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equivalents (1)

Other words for ‘a cappella’

  1. unaccompanied

reverse dictionary (5)

Words that contain this word in their definition

  1. cappella
  1. alla cappella
  1. doo-wop
  1. gospel
  1. gospel singing

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‘a cappella’ has been looked up 1592 times, added to 11 lists, and is not a valid Scrabble word.