blue note

American  

noun

Jazz.

1. a flatted note, especially the third or the seventh degree of the scale, recurring frequently in blues and jazz as a characteristic feature.

---

blue note British  

noun

1. jazz a flattened third or seventh, used frequently in the blues

---

Etymology

Origin of blue note

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Gaga’s voice so badly wants to understand jazz, but whenever she tries to swirl a blue note in the back of her throat, it always comes out teal.

From Washington Post • Mar. 31, 2022

“I can’t wait to wear the blue note for another nine years,” Parayko said.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 1, 2021

He flipped through questions written out on blue note cards.

From New York Times • Mar. 2, 2020

The past is a blue note inside me,

From Slate • Dec. 18, 2014

I then felt my shirt pocket for my blue note pad.

From "The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child" by Francisco Jiménez