Definition of "sinfonia" []

• An instrumental composition serving as an overture, as to an opera or cantata, especially in the 18th century. (noun)
• A symphonic composition. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "By the 18th century, composers were calling the overture to an opera, or an oratorio, the "sinfonia"."
• "The BSO is part of the consortium; the sinfonia will next be heard in Richmond and Detroit."
• "The quartet played original instruments – a sinfonia, a fídulo (which seemed to have only one string), viola de gamba, lute, and various versions of guitars."