Meanings
third stream1
nounthird stream (uncountable)
alternative thirdstream · alternative Third Stream
- uncountableentertainmentA form of jazz created in the 1950s, performed in ensembles in a style influenced by Western classical music, such as by using musical notation and eschewing improvisation.
The movement they brought into existence, "Third Stream", was for the most part an effort by jazz composers and musicians to adopt some of the conventions […]
2001, Ellen Koskoff, editor, The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: North America, Garland Publishing, page 335
Third Stream2
nounThird Stream (uncountable)
- alternativeuncountableAlternative form of third stream.
Origin
Coined by composer Gunther Schuller in 1957.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
third stream. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/third%20stream
MLA
“third stream.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/third%20stream. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “third stream,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/third%20stream.
Source: third stream on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.