tintinnabuli

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noun

A compositional style characterized by two types of voice, the first of which (the "tintinnabular voice") arpeggiates the tonic triad, and the second of which moves diatonically in stepwise motion.

OriginLatin tintinnābulum →
Scrabble 14
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Meanings

nountintinnabuli (uncountable)
  1. uncountableentertainmentA compositional style characterized by two types of voice, the first of which (the "tintinnabular voice") arpeggiates the tonic triad, and the second of which moves diatonically in stepwise motion.

Origin

  1. Latintintinnābulum“a small monastic bell”
  2. Englishtintinnabuli

From Latin tintinnābulum (“a small monastic bell”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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