semitone

[ sem-ee-tohn, sem-ahy- ]

noun

, Music.

1. a pitch interval halfway between two whole tones.

semitone

/ ˌsɛmɪˈtɒnɪk; ˈsɛmɪˌtəʊn /

noun

1. an interval corresponding to a frequency difference of 100 cents as measured in the system of equal temperament, and denoting the pitch difference between certain adjacent degrees of the diatonic scale ( diatonic semitone ) or between one note and its sharpened or flattened equivalent ( chromatic semitone ); minor second Also called (US and Canadian)half step Compare whole tone

Derived Forms

• ˌsemiˈtonally, adverb
• semitonic, adjective

Other Words From

• sem·i·ton·ic [sem-ee-, ton, -ik, sem-ahy-], sem·i·ton·al [sem-ee-, tohn, -l, sem-ahy-], adjective
• semi·tonal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of semitone¹

First recorded in 1600–10; semi- + tone

Example Sentences

Those 12 semitones are the foundation of most Western music.

From New York Times

What about his String Quartet No. 3, “Black Church,” from 1995: Can the way the players tear through sequences of semitones be seen as a tip of the hat to fast-picked streaks of electric-guitar blues?

From New York Times

The difference between them is less than a quarter of a semitone.

From Literature

An example of the transformed mood is the ending of the Carlos-Élisabeth duet, sung a semitone lower in the 1867 French.

From Seattle Times

Padel, whose previous collections include a verse biography of Darwin, here gives Beethoven the same treatment, summoning his “holy zone / of concentration” where “three descending semitones / say there is answer in the world.”

From New York Times