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polyphony

noun

  1. music with multiple, independent melody lines performed simultaneously
L325682 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /pəˈlɪfəni/

noun

Etymology: Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek πολυφωνία (poluphōnía); equivalent to poly- + -phony.

  1. 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. The quality of a text of being able to be read in more than one way.

    the polyphony of a biblical passage