counterpoint

C2+ Topic:Music Theory

US /ˈkaʊntɚˌpɔɪnt/ UK /ˈkaʊntəpɔɪnt/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a contrasting element set against another; combined melodic lines

The cheerful music served as a counterpoint to the grim plot.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a contrasting element set... contrast foilpolyphonyjuxtaposition

Word family

Forms contrapuntalcontrapuntally

Related forms counter pointcontrapuntal

Etymology

From Old French 'contrepoint', from Medieval Latin 'contrapunctus' ('note against note'), from 'contra' ('against') plus 'punctus' ('a point, musical note'), from 'pungere' ('to prick').

contrapunctus Medieval Latin pungere Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Music Theory Science & Research

External links

# counterpoint

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈkaʊntɚˌpɔɪnt/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈkaʊntəpɔɪnt/

## Meanings
1. a contrasting element set against another; combined melodic lines

## Examples
- The cheerful music served as a counterpoint to the grim plot.

## Synonyms
- contrast
- foil
- polyphony
- juxtaposition

## Related Forms
- counter
- point
- contrapuntal

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: contrapunctus
- Root: pungere

## Etymology
From Old French 'contrepoint', from Medieval Latin 'contrapunctus' ('note against note'), from 'contra' ('against') plus 'punctus' ('a point, musical note'), from 'pungere' ('to prick').

## AI Etymology
Counterpoint is from Old French 'contrepoint', from Medieval Latin 'contrapunctus' ('note against note'), from 'contra' ('against') plus 'punctus' ('a point, musical note'), from 'pungere' ('to prick'). The ancestry passes through Medieval Latin contrapunctus and Latin pungere. The prefix contra contributes the sense of opposition or againstness, helping to explain the word's surface structure. In present use as noun and verb, it means "a contrasting element set against another; combined melodic lines", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Related words include counter, point, and contrapuntal.

## Topics
- Music Theory
- Science & Research

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