n.
A preexisting melody used as the basis of a polyphonic composition, especially in 14th- and 15th-century polyphony.
[Medieval Latin : Latin cantus, song + Latin firmus, fixed.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
