- a light piece of music based on two or more popular tunes
- a subtle argument, esp one prepared as an exercise on a theological topic
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
quod•li•bet
(kwod′lə bet′),USA pronunciation n.
quod′li•bet′ic, quod′li•bet′i•cal, adj.
quod′li•bet′i•cl•ly, adv.
- a subtle or elaborate argument or point of debate, usually on a theological or scholastic subject.
- Music and Dancea humorous composition consisting of two or more independent and harmonically complementary melodies, usually quotations of well-known tunes, played or sung together, usually to different texts, in a polyphonic arrangement.
- Medieval Latin quodlibetum; compare Latin quod libet what pleases, as you please
- Middle English 1350–1400
quod′li•bet′i•cl•ly, adv.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
quodlibet /ˈkwɒdlɪˌbɛt/ n