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
Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 14 Aug. 2025
Cantus often performs their work a cappella, but here they are joined with a live band, including drums, keyboards, bass and guitar and brass instruments.
—Sheila Regan, Twin Cities, 2 June 2025
The audition will consist of a 1-minute performance (vocal, dance, rap – choose one or more), either a cappella or music-supported, and a short interview.
—Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025
Encouraging the fans in the studio to get on their feet and get into it, the quartet has the crowd clapping along to its mostly a cappella performance of the song that perfectly blends yearning, soulful singing with cowgirl attitude and acoustic twang.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 15 July 2025
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 20 Aug. 2025.
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a cappella
adverb or adjectivefrom Italian a cappella "in chapel style"
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