plagal

adjective

pla·gal ˈplā-gəl

of a church mode : having the keynote on the fourth scale step compare authentic sense 4a

of a cadence : progressing from the subdominant chord to the tonic compare authentic sense 4b

Examples of plagal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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As to the endgame — no spoilers here — the details are not predictable in themselves but, to put it in musical terms, there’s a sort of half cadence followed by an authentic cadence followed by a plagal cadence. —

Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 1 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin plagalis, ultimately from Greek plagios oblique, sideways, from plagos side; akin to Latin plaga net, region, Greek pelagos sea

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of plagal was in 1597

See more words from the same year