noun
fugue
FYG
noun
1
A musical composition in which a melody is introduced by one voice and then echoed and layered by others.
"Bach's fugues are famous for their intricate, interweaving melodies."
2
A dissociative state in which a person may travel or act without full awareness, sometimes forgetting their identity.
"Doctors described his sudden disappearance as a dissociative fugue."
How to Use Fugue
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA layered musical form where a melody is passed between voices, or a rare psychological state involving memory loss and wandering.
Common pairings
a Bach fugue
dissociative fugue
fugue state
Word Forms
fugued past tense, fugues plural, fugues singular
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Bach's _____ are famous for their intricate, interweaving melodies.
Etymology
From Italian fuga, "flight," from Latin fugiō, "to flee" — the musical sense comes from one melodic line seeming to "flee" ahead of the others.