passacaglia: Meaning and Definition of

pas•sa•ca•glia

Pronunciation: (pä"su-käl'yu, pas"u-kal'-), [key]
— n.
  1. a slow, dignified dance of Spanish origin.
  2. the music for this dance, based on an ostinato figure.
  3. a musical form based on continuous variations over a ground bass.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.