a cappella
11
5.8
- adjective
- /ə kæˈpɛlə/
- It was an a cappella group.
- an a cappella group
- an a cappella singer
- a cappella singing
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Watch on YouTubeIt's off a record entitled Little Creatures, and it's the first song on the list that's all harmonized A cappella vocals.
- It's off a record entitled Little Creatures, and it's the first song on the list that's all harmonized A cappella vocals.
Examples
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Pitch Perfect, with Anna Kendrick, Elizabeth Banks, and Rebel Wilson, is a comedy about college women who form an a cappella group to compete in a national competition.
Blog text (25) -
I could sing in an a cappella group, but I can't sing.
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You are just going to have to sing it a cappella.
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Thank you, Grace, for that lovely a cappella version of the National Anthem.
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I put together an a cappella rap group called Mod Men.
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Sing a cappella.
Academic text (2015) -
Call Our Bluff is an all-mens a cappella group that was started last April by most of its current members.
Blog text (4) -
We here at CASA work tirelessly to provide a cappella news and resources, great events around the country, awards and performance opportunities, and wonderful membership benefits to the a cappella community at large.
Blog text (9) -
At the Ukulele Show sponsored by Campus Ministry, the relatively new a cappella group Call Our Bluff made a special appearance, starting their performance with Adele's "Rolling in the Deep."
Blog text (4) -
The choir performed a cappella at the annual music festival, showcasing their vocal harmony without instruments.
Synonyms
2
5.5
Sung or played without other instruments
1
5.8
Without music playing, for example only speech or silence
Antonyms
How Orchestrated
- Specialized
87
6.5
- Specialized
6
6.7
28
4.2
10
5.1
11
5.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
a + cappella
This is a fixed borrowing from Italian whose meaning ('without instrumental accompaniment') cannot be derived from the English parts 'a' and 'cappella' (the latter will be unknown to a B1 learner). The expression does not follow a transparent English compositional pattern, so learners who only know the constituent words would not predict the meaning.
Etymology
A cappella comes from Italian, where cappella meant 'chapel' and church singers used no instruments. That's why a cappella describes singing 'without musical or instrumental accompaniment'.