leading tone
[ lee-ding ]
/ ˈli dɪŋ /
noun Music.
the seventh degree of a diatonic scale; subtonic.
Also called
leading note.
Origin of leading tone
First recorded in 1910–15
Words nearby leading tone
leading note,
leading question,
leading rating,
leading reins,
leading strings,
leading tone,
leading wind,
leadoff,
leadplant,
leadsman,
leadville
British Dictionary definitions for leading note
leading note
/ (ˈliːdɪŋ) /
noun music
another word for subtonic
(esp in cadences) a note, usually the subtonic of a scale, that tends most naturally to resolve to the note lying one semitone above it