Chord Meaning
/kɔːd/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA harmonic set of three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously.
nounA line segment between two points of a curve.
Sentence Examples
That name struck a chord.
Every chord, every harmony, every discordant note fills me with immense joy.
Can you play that chord on the keyboard?
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
He struck a single ____ on the piano and the entire room fell silent with awe.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He struck a single ____ on his guitar and began to sing a sweet song.
Word Origin & History
Variant of cord, with spelling alteration due to Latin chorda (“cord”), ultimately from Ancient Greek χορδή (khordḗ, “string of gut, the string of a lyre”). No relation to French accord (“chord”) and its derivations. Doublet of cuerda.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"He struck the opening chords of the passage; but this time Irene's voice was silent. Victor stopped in the middle of an arpeggio."
— 1956, Delano Ames, chapter 14, in Crime out of Mind:
"The simplest method of calculating the radius of a curve in situ is to measure the versine; in railway practice this is done by extending a tape 66 ft. (1 ch.) long in a straight line or chord between two points on the periphery of a curve, and then measuring the maximum distance of the rail from the chord at the centre of the 66 ft. The radius in chains is found by dividing the versine in inches into 99. Thus if a versine measures 3 in., the radius will be 33 ch."
— 1941 September, “The Why and the Wherefore: Curves”, in Railway Magazine, page 430:
"Ctrl-K is the default first key for chords, but you can create chords using any keys that you want."
— 2005, James Avery, Visual Studio hacks, page 99:
"Instruments that made melodious Chime
Was heard, of Harp and Organ; and who mov'd
Their Stops and Chords was seen"
— 1667, John Milton, “(please specify the page number)”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
"This chording technique works well for learning any tune, but this is the only tune of the set that I will write out completely as a chorded version."
— 2003, Dan Levenson, Clawhammer Banjo from Scratch:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
He struck a single ____ on the piano and the entire room fell silent with awe.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He struck a single ____ on his guitar and began to sing a sweet song.