Standard Lemma guide

ossia

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈɑsiə/
  • General-American: /ˈɔsiə/
  • General-American: /oʊˈsiə/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈɒsɪə/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ɒˈsiːə/

1

noun

Meaning 1

In a musical score, an alternative version of a passage, usually just a few measures long. The alternative may be an easier version of a particularly difficult passage, or a more difficult version of a passage.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Italian ossia (“or rather”).