a cappella
adverb or adjective
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A Cappella Has Italian Roots
A cappella arrived in English in the 18th century via the Italian phrase a cappella, meaning "in chapel or choir style." (Medieval Latin capella, meaning "chapel," is the source of English chapel.) The a cappella style reached preeminence in the late 16th century in the music that composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina wrote for the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican. Because no independent instrumental parts were written down, scholars once thought that the choir sang unaccompanied, but current evidence makes clear that an organ or other instruments doubled some or several of the vocal parts. Regardless, today a cappella describes a purely vocal performance.
Examples of a cappella in a Sentence
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2026
As one of many grand gestures of his love, Hal reunites with his a cappella group, The Gentlemen Callers, to serenade Lois with Bruno Mars’ ‘Locked Out of Heaven’ in the aisles of the Lucky Aide.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 9 Apr. 2026
And on nights when the power went out, Cubans gathered in the street to play dominoes or sing classic songs a cappella.
—Natalia Favre, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2026
Performances of the song by school a cappella groups have been met with strongly positive reactions and standing ovations.
—Caché McClay, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for a cappella
Cite this Entry
“A cappella.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20cappella. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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a cappella
adverb or adjectivefrom Italian a cappella "in chapel style"
