tetrachord

[ te-truh-kawrd ]
/ ˈtɛ trəˌkɔrd /

noun Music.

a diatonic series of four tones, the first and last separated by a perfect fourth.

Origin of tetrachord

First recorded in 1595–1605, tetrachord is from the Greek word tetráchordos having four strings. See tetra-, chord1

OTHER WORDS FROM tetrachord

tet·ra·chor·dal, adjective

Words nearby tetrachord

tetracene, tetrachloride, tetrachloroethane, tetrachloroethylene, tetrachloromethane, tetrachord, tetracid, tetracoccus, tetracosactide, tetracrotic, tetracyclic

Example sentences from the Web for tetrachord

British Dictionary definitions for tetrachord

tetrachord
/ (ˈtɛtrəˌkɔːd) /

noun

(in musical theory, esp of classical Greece) any of several groups of four notes in descending order, in which the first and last notes form a perfect fourth

Derived forms of tetrachord

tetrachordal, adjective

Word Origin for tetrachord

C17: from Greek tetrakhordos four-stringed, from tetra- + khordē a string