monochord

[ mon-uh-kawrd ]

noun

1. an acoustical instrument dating from antiquity, consisting of an oblong wooden sounding box, usually with a single string, used for the mathematical determination of musical intervals.

monochord

/ ˈmɒnəʊˌkɔːd /

noun

1. an instrument employed in acoustic analysis or investigation, consisting usually of one string stretched over a resonator of wood Also calledsonometersəˈnɒmɪtə

Word History and Origins

Origin of monochord¹

1375–1425; late Middle English monocorde < Medieval Latin monochordum < Greek monóchordon, noun use of neuter of monóchordos with one string. See mono-, chord ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of monochord¹

C15: from Old French, from Late Latin, from Greek monokhordon, from mono- + khordē string

Example Sentences

One day, according to legend, Pythagoras was toying with a monochord, a box with a string on it.

From Literature

By moving a sliding bridge up and down the monochord, Pythagoras changed the notes that the device played.

From Literature

Putting the bridge on the monochord so it touches the string changes the notes that are played.

From Literature

When you place the bridge exactly in the middle of the monochord, touching the center of the string, each half of the string plays the same note: a tone exactly one octave higher than the string’s fundamental.

From Literature

The harmony of the monochord was the harmony of mathematics—and the harmony of the universe.

From Literature