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cantus firmus

can·tus fir·mus

Today it means: A preexisting melody forming the basis of a polyphonic composition. Full definition →

Latin cantus firmus

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Latin · borrowed fromcantus firmus
English todaycantus firmus

Unadapted borrowing from Latin cantus firmus (literally “fixed chant”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.