ricercar

US: (rē′chər kär′)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

ri•cer•car  (rē′chər kär′), n. 

1. Music and Dance a chiefly polyphonic instrumental form of the 16th and 17th centuries closely resembling the vocal motet in structure and style.
2. Music and Dance a composition, esp. for a keyboard instrument, having this form.

Also, ricercare, ri•cer•ca•ta  (rē′chər kä′tə). 

• apocopated variant of ricercare 1780–90

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

ri•cer•ca•re  (rē′chər kär′ā; It. rē′cher kä′re), n., pl. -ca•ri 

(-kär′ē; It. -kä′rē). 
1. Music and Dance ricercar.

• Italian, noun, nominal use of ricercare to seek; see research

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

ricercare / ˌriːtʃəˈkɑːreɪ/, ricercar / ˈriːtʃəˌkɑː/ noun ( -cari / -ˈkɑːriː/, -cars)(in music of the 16th and 17th centuries)

1. an elaborate polyphonic composition making extensive use of contrapuntal imitation and usually very slow in tempo
2. an instructive composition to illustrate instrumental technique; étude

Etymology: Italian, literally: to seek again