n. 1. a. A song for two or three unaccompanied voices, developed in Italy in the late 1200s and early 1300s. b. A short poem, often about love, suitable for being set to music. 2. a. A polyphonic song using a vernacular text and written for four to six voices, developed in Italy in the 16th century and popular in England in the 1500s and early 1600s. b. A part song. [Italian madrigale, probably from dialectal madregal, simple, from Late Latin mātrīcālis, invented, original, from Latin, of the womb, from mātrīx, mātrīc-, womb, from māter, mātr-, mother; see MATER.] madri·gal·ist n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.