ethnomusicology

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noun

The study of music and culture; the study of music as it relates to its cultural context.

OriginEnglish musicology ← Ancient Greek λόγος (lógos) ← Proto-Hellenic *lógos →
UncommonScrabble 26
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Meanings

nounethnomusicology (usually uncountable, plural ethnomusicologies)

plural ethnomusicologies

  1. uncountableusuallyentertainmentThe study of music and culture; the study of music as it relates to its cultural context.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*swé
  2. Proto-Indo-European*dʰeh₁-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*swe-dʰh₁-
  4. Proto-Hellenic*séswōtʰa
  5. Ancient Greekἔθω (éthō)
  6. Ancient Greekἔθνος (éthnos)
  7. Englishethno-
  8. Englishmusic
  9. Proto-Indo-European*leǵ-
  10. Proto-Indo-European*lóǵos
  11. Proto-Hellenic*lógos
  12. Ancient Greekλόγος (lógos)
  13. Englishmusicology
  14. Englishethnomusicology

From ethno- + musicology.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 音樂人類學 /音乐人类学, 民族音樂學 /民族音乐学
  • 音樂人類學 /音乐人类学 (yīnyuè rénlèixué)study of music and culture
  • 民族音樂學 /民族音乐学 (mínzú yīnyuèxué)study of music and culture
Finnish etnomusikologia
  • etnomusikologiastudy of music and culture
French ethnomusicologie
  • ethnomusicologiestudy of music and culture
German Ethnomusikologie
  • Ethnomusikologiestudy of music and culture
Hawaiian kālaipuolo lāhui
  • kālaipuolo lāhuistudy of music and culture
Irish eitnicheoleolaíocht
  • eitnicheoleolaíochtstudy of music and culture
Italian etnomusicologia
  • etnomusicologiastudy of music and culture
Korean 민족음악학
  • 민족음악학 (minjogeumakhak)study of music and culture
Norwegian etnomusikologi
  • etnomusikologistudy of music and culture
Polish etnografia muzyczna, etnomuzykologia
  • etnografia muzycznastudy of music and culture
  • etnomuzykologiastudy of music and culture
Portuguese etnomusicologia
  • etnomusicologiastudy of music and culture
Romanian etnomuzicologie
  • etnomuzicologiestudy of music and culture
Russian этномузыкове́дение
  • этномузыкове́дение (etnomuzykovédenije)study of music and culture
Spanish etnomusicologia
  • etnomusicologiastudy of music and culture
Turkish etnomüzikoloji
  • etnomüzikolojistudy of music and culture
Cite this entry
APA

ethnomusicology. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ethnomusicology

MLA

“ethnomusicology.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ethnomusicology. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ethnomusicology,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ethnomusicology.

Source: ethnomusicology on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.