chord

¹

[ kawrd ]

noun

1. a feeling or emotion:

   His story struck a chord of pity in the listeners.

2. Geometry. the line segment between two points on a given curve.
3. Engineering, Building Trades. a principal member of a truss extending from end to end, usually one of a pair of such members, more or less parallel and connected by a web composed of various compression and tension members.
4. Aeronautics. a straight line joining the trailing and leading edges of an airfoil section.
5. Anatomy. cord ( def 6 ).

chord

²

[ kawrd ]

noun

1. a combination of usually three or more musical tones sounded simultaneously.

verb (used with object)

1. to establish or play a chord or chords for (a particular harmony or song); harmonize or voice:

   How would you chord that in B flat?

chord

¹

/ kɔːd /

noun

1. the simultaneous sounding of a group of musical notes, usually three or more in number See concord discord

verb

1. tr to provide (a melodic line) with chords

chord

²

/ kɔːd /

noun

1. maths
   1. a straight line connecting two points on a curve or curved surface
   2. the line segment lying between two points of intersection of a straight line and a curve or curved surface
2. engineering one of the principal members of a truss, esp one that lies along the top or the bottom
3. anatomy a variant spelling of cord
4. an emotional response, esp one of sympathy

   the story struck the right chord

5. an imaginary straight line joining the leading edge and the trailing edge of an aerofoil
6. archaic.
   the string of a musical instrument

chord

/ kôrd /

1. A line segment that joins two points on a curve.
2. A straight line connecting the leading and trailing edges of an airfoil.

chord

1. In music, the sound of three or more notes played at the same time. The history of Western music is marked by an increase in complexity of the chords composers use.

Derived Forms

• ˈchordal, adjective
• ˈchorded, adjective

Other Words From

• chorded adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of chord¹

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin chorda < Greek chordḗ gut, string; replacing cord in senses given

Origin of chord²

1350–1400; earlier cord, Middle English, short for accord; ch- from chord ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of chord¹

C15: short for accord ; spelling influenced by chord ¹

Origin of chord²

C16: from Latin chorda, from Greek khordē gut, string; see cord

Idioms and Phrases

see strike a chord .

Example Sentences

“He’s completing phrases on the next chord change instead of singing a single sentence within chord changes. It’s very sophisticated writing,” Yoakam said of Byrd Gene Clark as we listened to the song together, like two undergraduates in a dorm room bonding over our favorite albums.

From Los Angeles Times

“You could play that line with all the darkness and sincerity that you can muster, and it might really strike a chord in the the heart of the audience, or you could put a tiny little spin on it and get a big laugh,” he said, thinking about it for a moment.

From Los Angeles Times

Experts say that the merger strikes a dissonant chord from a branding perspective too.

From BBC

That message struck a chord with other young people in the city of 12.6 million people, at a time when many in China complain of burnout from an overly-competitive job market.

From BBC

A pro-Trump ad that painted Harris as a radical liberal, out of touch with the working class, seemed to strike a chord with men.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• arc
• arch
• contour
• loop
• trajectory