a cappella
adverb or adjective
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A Cappella Has Italian Roots
A cappella arrived in English in the 18th century via the Italian phrase a cappella, meaning "in chapel or choir style." (Medieval Latin capella, meaning "chapel," is the source of English chapel.) The a cappella style reached preeminence in the late 16th century in the music that composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina wrote for the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican. Because no independent instrumental parts were written down, scholars once thought that the choir sang unaccompanied, but current evidence makes clear that an organ or other instruments doubled some or several of the vocal parts. Regardless, today a cappella describes a purely vocal performance.
Examples of a cappella in a Sentence
Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
After school, Alexx and an a cappella group friend, fellow pop artist Rosemary Joaquin, moved to Nashville and became roommates.
—Audrey Gibbs, The Tennessean, 9 Oct. 2024
Eilish’s a cappella release starts its time on both the Official Albums Sales and Official Physical Albums charts at No. 23.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
Several versions are included: a live rehearsal, an a cappella rendition, and a remix by Carvin Winans, plus two bonus tracks recorded live at Kings Park Stadium in Durban, South Africa, in 1994.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 2 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“A cappella.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20cappella. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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a cappella
adverb or adjectivefrom Italian a cappella "in chapel style"
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