hemiola

[ hem-ee-oh-luh ]

noun

, Music.

1. a rhythmic pattern of syncopated beats with two beats in the time of three or three beats in the time of two.

hemiola

/ ˌhɛmɪˈɒlɪk; ˌhɛmɪˈəʊlə /

noun

1. music a rhythmic device involving the superimposition of, for example, two notes in the time of three Also calledsesquialtera

Derived Forms

• hemiolic, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hemiola¹

1590–1600; < Medieval Latin hēmiolia < Greek hēmiolía the ratio of one and a half to one, feminine of hēmiolíos half as large again, equivalent to hēmi- hemi- + ( h ) ól ( os ) whole + -ios adj. suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of hemiola¹

New Latin, from Greek hēmiolia ratio of one to one and a half, from hemi- + ( h ) olos whole

Example Sentences

Music aficionados recognize this rhythm as a triplet or “hemiola”: the playing of two different musical patterns simultaneously.

From The Daily Beast