Fugue

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈfjuːɡ/
• Rhymes: -uːɡ

Origin

Borrowing from fr {{2}}, from Italian fuga ("flight, ardor"), from Latin fuga ("act of fleeing"), from fugere ("to flee").

Apparently from the metaphor that the first part starts alone on its course, and is pursued by later parts.

Full definition of fugue

Noun

1. (music) A contrapuntal piece of music wherein a particular melody is played in a number of voices, each voice introduced in turn by playing the melody.
2. Anything in literature, poetry, film, painting, etc., that resembles a fugue in structure or in its elaborate complexity and formality.

Related terms

• fugue state