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  counterplot counterpoise  
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   The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition.  2000.
 
counterpoint
 
SYLLABICATION:coun·ter·point
PRONUNCIATION:  kountr-point
NOUN:1. Music a. Melodic material that is added above or below an existing melody. b. The technique of combining two or more melodic lines in such a way that they establish a harmonic relationship while retaining their linear individuality. c. A composition or piece that incorporates or consists of contrapuntal writing. 2a. A contrasting but parallel element, item, or theme. b. Use of contrasting elements in a work of art.
TRANSITIVE VERB:Inflected forms: coun·ter·point·ed, coun·ter·point·ing, coun·ter·points
1. Music To write or arrange (music) in counterpoint. 2. To set in contrast: “The complex, clotted computer talk sadly counterpoints the simplistic nature of the characters” (Rhoda Koenig).
 
 
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

CONTENTS · INDEX · ILLUSTRATIONS · BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD
  counterplot counterpoise  
 
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