ˈsim(p)fənē, -ni noun
( -es )
Etymology: Middle English symphonie, from Old French, from Latin symphonia, from Greek symphōnia, from symphōnos agreeing in sound, concordant (from syn- + phōnē voice, sound) + -ia -y — more at ban
1. : a consonance or harmony of sounds
night was a symphony of sounds — Guy Fowler
2.
a. : an instrumental musical passage in a vocal composition
b. : sinfonia 1
c. : an instrumental movement in a choral work
the Pastoral Symphony in Handel's Messiah
d. : an elaborate instrumental composition usually in sonata form for full orchestra
e. : a work of similar proportions for organ
f. : symphony orchestra
3.
a. : consonance or harmony of color (as in a painting)
b. : a pictorial composition or other arrangement marked by consonance or harmony of color
4. : something that in its harmonious complexity or variety suggests a symphonic composition
barren wastelands burst out in a fleeting symphony of wild flowers — Gladwin Hill