(in a fugue) the theme in one voice that accompanies the statement of the subject in another
countersubject in American English
(ˈkauntərˈsʌbdʒɪkt)
noun
Music
a theme in a fugue that occurs simultaneously with the second and often the subsequent themes of the main subject
Word origin
[1850–55; counter- + subject]This word is first recorded in the period 1850–55. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: cloakroom, heavyweight, muggins, proletariat, seguecounter- is a combining form with the meanings “against,” “contrary,” “opposite,” “in oppositionor response to” (countermand); “complementary,” “in reciprocation,” “corresponding,” “parallel” (counterfoil; counterbalance); “substitute,” “duplicate” (counterfeit)