pricksong

English

Etymology

From prick +‎ song.

Noun

pricksong (plural pricksongs)

  1. (now chiefly historical) Music sung from notation written with dots or points, as opposed to by ear; sheet music. [from 15th c.]
    • 1613, John Marston, William Barksted, The Insatiate Countess, I.1:
      Well said, wench, and the prick-song we use shall be our husbands'.
  2. (now chiefly historical) A melody performed as a counterpoint to a plainsong. [from 15th c.]

References
  • pricksong in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
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