a cappella

adverb or adjective

a cap·​pel·​la ˌä-kə-ˈpe-lə How to pronounce a cappella (audio)
variants or less commonly a capella
: without instrumental accompaniment
The choir sang the chants a cappella.

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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

Recent Examples on the Web
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Practically every performance, whether a cappella or accompanied by instrumental, became a communal experience, with the audience singing along to Tony! Essence, 24 Sep. 2025 An award-winning La Jolla ensemble is gearing up for a show full of sublime harmonies and a cappella tunes. Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025 There's sax solos, guitar solos, big a cappella moments and key changes. Ilana Kaplan, PEOPLE, 5 Sep. 2025 The site also shared a photo of what appears to be Scott Hoying, the singer from the popular a cappella group Pentatonix, wearing a similar mask near the DWTS practice space. Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for a cappella

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Italian a cappella "in chapel or choir style"

First Known Use

1785, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of a cappella was in 1785

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Cite this Entry

“A cappella.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20cappella. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

a cappella

adverb or adjective
a cap·​pel·​la
variants also a capella
: without accompanying instrumental music
sing a cappella
Etymology

from Italian a cappella "in chapel style"

More from Merriam-Webster on a cappella

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