Dictionary

chord en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• kôrd (General-American)
• /kɔːd/ (UK)
• /kɔɹd/ (General-American)

Etymology

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.

Meanings

1. A harmonic set of three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously.
   • 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:
2. A line segment between two points of a curve.
   • 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:
3. A horizontal member of a truss.
4. A horizontal member of a truss. ▸ A section of subsidiary railway track that interconnects two primary tracks that cross at different levels, to permit traffic to flow between them.
5. The distance between the leading and trailing edge of a wing, measured in the direction of the normal airflow.
6. An imaginary line from the luff of a sail to its leech.
7. A keyboard shortcut that involves two or more distinct keypresses, such as Ctrl+M followed by P.
   • 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:
8. The string of a musical instrument.
   • 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:
9. A cord.
10. An edge that is not part of a cycle but connects two vertices of the cycle.

Forms

Deriveds

Italian augmented sixth chord · dominant seventh chord · pentachord · urochord · barre chord · half-diminished seventh chord · polychord · major chord · bichord · Neapolitan chord · notochord · chordal · French augmented sixth chord · suspended chord · touch a chord · chord changes · vocal chord · perfect chord · enneachord · power chord · glassichord · nonchord · cowboy chord · chordlike · chord progression · seventh chord · chordless · Blackadder chord · Tristan chord · trichord · common chord · hexachord · scare chord · broken chord · minor chord · chordwork · dichord · German augmented sixth chord · subchord · chordoma · strike a chord · cluster chord · major seventh chord · tetrachord · diminished seventh chord · chordwise · mixed-interval chord · cycle chord · glasschord · idiochord · chord organ · equal-interval chord · Ikisugi chord · multichord · chord change · counterchord · accidental chord · chop chord · sus chord · minor seventh chord · augmented sixth chord · ninth chord · slash chord · bell chord

Relateds

span

Translations (105)

mn найрсахлан (combination of three or more notes) · da korde (straight line) · id tali busur (straight line) · he אָקוֹרְד (combination of three or more notes) · az vətər (straight line) · es subtensa (straight line) · hi जीवा (straight line) · de Akkord (combination of three or more notes) · uk ако́рд (combination of three or more notes) · hu akkord (combination of three or more notes) · tr akor (combination of three or more notes) · mi tangiata (combination of three or more notes) · pt corda (straight line) · fi jänne (straight line) · cmn 弦 (combination of three or more notes) · no noter (combination of three or more notes) · ru акко́рд (combination of three or more notes) · sh акорд (combination of three or more notes) · be ако́рд (combination of three or more notes) · id akor (combination of three or more notes) · bg ако́рд (combination of three or more notes) · pl cięciwa (straight line) · es acorde (combination of three or more notes) · th คอร์ด (combination of three or more notes) · lt balso stygos (combination of three or more notes) · fa وتر (combination of three or more notes) · ru хо́рда (straight line) · ar وَتَر (combination of three or more notes) · sq akord (combination of three or more notes) · sh tetiva (straight line) · pt acorde (combination of three or more notes) · no akkord (combination of three or more notes) · bn জ্যা (straight line) · ko 화음 (combination of three or more notes) · fr accord (combination of three or more notes) · da akkord (combination of three or more notes) · eo ŝnuro (distance of a wing's leading and trailing edges) · ga corda (combination of three or more notes) · nl koorde (straight line) · ru хо́рда (distance of a wing's leading and trailing edges) · ro coardă (straight line) · nl akkoord (combination of three or more notes) · mn хөвч (straight line) · fa آکورد (combination of three or more notes) · cy cord (combination of three or more notes) · ug ئاككورد (combination of three or more notes) · cs akord (combination of three or more notes) · fo akkord (combination of three or more notes) · mk акорд (combination of three or more notes) · cmn 直線 /直线 (straight line) · fr corde (straight line) · km អាគ័រ (combination of three or more notes) · yi אַקאָרד (combination of three or more notes) · tl akorde (combination of three or more notes) · gl corda (straight line) · pl akord (combination of three or more notes) · mn хам эгшиг (combination of three or more notes) · eo akordo (keyboard shortcut) · de Sehne (straight line) · bg хо́рда (straight line) · de Profilsehne (distance of a wing's leading and trailing edges) · sv ackord (combination of three or more notes) · ja 弦 (straight line) · it accordo (combination of three or more notes) · eo ŝnuro (straight line) · de Tastenkombination (keyboard shortcut) · sk akord (combination of three or more notes) · cmn 和音 (combination of three or more notes) · uz akkord (combination of three or more notes) · el χορδή (horizontal member of a truss) · it corda (straight line) · sh тетива (straight line) · vi hợp âm (combination of three or more notes) · cmn 和弦 (combination of three or more notes) · lv stīga (combination of three or more notes) · tl sanlinigan (combination of three or more notes) · mi aho (straight line) · ms kord (combination of three or more notes) · el χορδή (straight line) · no note (combination of three or more notes) · fi jänne (distance of a wing's leading and trailing edges) · mn аккорд (combination of three or more notes) · el χορδή (distance of a wing's leading and trailing edges) · ja 和音 (combination of three or more notes) · fa زه (straight line) · sl akord (combination of three or more notes) · sh akord (combination of three or more notes) · hu húr (straight line) · ro acord (combination of three or more notes) · es cuerda (straight line) · az akkord (combination of three or more notes) · et akord (combination of three or more notes) · fa وتر (straight line) · ar اِئْتِلَاف نَغَمَات (combination of three or more notes) · gl acorde (combination of three or more notes) · fi jänne (horizontal member of a truss) · fi sointu (combination of three or more notes) · el συγχορδία (combination of three or more notes) · ms perentas (straight line) · kn ಜ್ಯಾ (straight line) · eo akordo (combination of three or more notes) · fa زه (combination of three or more notes) · cs tětiva (straight line) · tr kiriş (straight line) · tl bagting (straight line)

chord en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• kôrd (General-American)
• /kɔːd/ (UK)
• /kɔɹd/ (General-American)

Etymology

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.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To write chords for.
   • 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:
2. To accord; to harmonize together.
   • This note chords with that one.
3. (transitive) To provide with musical chords or strings; to string; to tune.
   • Even the solitary old pine tree chords his harp. 1862, Henry Ward Beecher, Eyes and Ears:
   • When Jubal struck the chorded shell. 1687, John Dryden, A Song for Cecilia's Day:

Forms

Relateds

simultaneity

Translations (1)

fi soinnuttaa (to write chords for)