musicology

noun

mu·​si·​col·​o·​gy ˌmyü-zi-ˈkä-lə-jē How to pronounce musicology (audio)
: the study of music as a branch of knowledge or field of research as distinct from composition or performance
musicological adjective
musicologist noun

Examples of musicology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Staff members working on Pandora’s Music Genome Project have backgrounds in musicology—the scholarly analysis of music. IEEE Spectrum, 1 Aug. 2017 By looking at her midcareer repertoire, Yale’s new course will explore scholarly works and cultural texts across Black feminist theory, philosophy and anthropology, as well as art history, performance studies and musicology, the course description states. Angela Yang, NBC News, 10 Nov. 2024 The Choir School, hosted by the Trinity Episcopal Church, offers tuition-free training for Greater Hartford singers between the ages of eight and eighteen, and educates students about musicology and general life skills. Lara Langer and David Barrett, Hartford Courant, 23 July 2024 His bandmates were equally brainy: Mr. Gottlieb had a doctorate in musicology and Mr. Yarbrough once worked as a bouncer to pay for Greek lessons. Clay Risen, New York Times, 12 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for musicology 

Word History

Etymology

Italian musicologia, from Latin musica music + -logia -logy

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of musicology was in 1845

Dictionary Entries Near musicology

Cite this Entry

“Musicology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/musicology. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on musicology

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!