"marked by responsive singing," 1719, from antiphon + -al. Related: Antiphonally.
Entries linking to antiphonal
antiphon n.
c. 1500, "a versicle sung responsively," from French antiphone "hymn" or directly from Medieval Latin antiphona, from Greek antiphōna (neuter plural), from antiphōnos "responsive, sounding in answer," from anti "in return" (see anti-) + phōnē "voice" (from PIE root *bha- (2) "to speak, tell, say").
A reborrowing of the word which had become anthem in English (in Old English antefn, antifon) and lost its original meaning.
-al 1
suffix forming adjectives from nouns or other adjectives, "of, like, related to, pertaining to," Middle English -al, -el, from French or directly from Latin -alis (see -al (2)).