Fugue
/fjuːɡ/noun
A polyphonic musical composition in which a theme is stated by one voice and developed by interweaving voices imitating it in counterpoint.
Did you know?Psychologist Pierre Janet coined 'fugue state' in 1887 for amnesia and wandering, analogizing the mind's theme fleeing consciousness like notes evading capture in music.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bheug-
“to flee”
c. 500 BCE
Latin
fugere
“to flee, run away”
Classical Latin
Latin
fuga
“a flight, escape, hasty departure”
16th Century
Italian
fuga
“flight; musical passage where voices pursue each other”
Late 16th Century
French
fugue
“musical fugue, chase of themes”
1590s
English
fugue
“musical composition with imitating voices”
1887
English
fugue
“dissociative psychological flight from identity and memory”
Explore more surprising origins