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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Fans of Pitch Perfect, which famously begins with Camp's Aubrey profusely upchucking all over the crowd at the a cappella finals, will be, if not delighted, at least amused to know that her new film, Bride Hard, begins in much the same way. Lauren Huff Published, EW.com, 21 June 2025 The singer-songwriter unveiled the vinyl edition of Hit Me Hard and Soft (Isolated Vocals), the a cappella version of her latest full-length effort. Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025 The film’s stark, gorgeous folk music performances — often delivered a cappella — had a big impact on the crowd. Ellise Shafer, Variety, 21 May 2025 Due to a technical issue, Underwood ended up singing the patriotic song a cappella, earning rave reviews for her performance. Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 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 3 Jul. 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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