/foh"beuhr don'/ ; Fr. /foh boohrdd dawonn"/ , n.
1. Music. a 15th-century compositional technique employing three voices, the upper and lower voices progressing an octave or a sixth apart while the middle voice extemporaneously doubles the upper part at a fourth below.
2. the use of progressions of parallel sixth chords.
[ 1875-80; ]