monochord
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English
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin monochordon, itself borrowed from Ancient Greek μονόχορδον (monókhordon). By surface analysis, mono- + chord.
Noun
monochord (plural monochords)
- A musical instrument for experimenting with the mathematical relations of musical sounds, consisting of a single string stretched between two bridges, one or both of which can be moved, and which stand upon a graduated rule for the purpose of changing and measuring the length of the part of the string between them.
- 1840, Elijah Coleman Bridgman, Samuel Wells Williams, The Chinese Repository, page 40:
- If a musician were going to give a lecture upon the mathematical part of his art, he would find a very elegant substitute for the monochord in the Chinese kin.
- A stringed instrument with only one string.
- A bass note on a piano that has a single string.
Synonyms
- kanon (used in the context of ancient Greek music)