Syncopation
Etymology
From Late Latin "syncopa," from Greek "synkopē" (a cutting short), built from "syn-" (together) and "koptein" (to cut, strike). The same root gives "syncope" (a fainting spell) and the grammatical syncope of dropping a sound. In music it means cutting across the expected accent by shifting it off the beat.
noun · /sing-kuh-PAY-shuhn/
Placing emphasis on the weak or off beats where the ear expects none.
What it names
The specific trick that makes music feel like it swings, lurches, or grooves — the displaced accent behind jazz, funk, and most danceable pop.
Example
The bassline’s syncopation pulled every note just off the beat, and the crowd couldn’t stop moving.
Related idea
Syncopation displaces the accent within a steady meter; dissonance unsettles the ear through clashing pitches. One toys with when notes land, the other with how they sound together.