Chord definition | Dictionary.com

Synonyms of Chord

accord, major, minor, music, nerve, note, rope, string, tendon, tone, triad,

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chord

15 dictionary results for: Chord

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

chord1

[kawrd] Pronunciation Key

–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).

[Origin: 1350–1400; ME < L chorda < Gk chord gut, string; r. cord in senses given

]

—Related forms

chorded, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

chord2

[kawrd] Pronunciation Key

–noun

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

–verb (used with object)

2.	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?

[Origin: 1350–1400; earlier cord, ME, short for accord; ch- from chord¹

]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

chord¹ (kôrd, kōrd) Pronunciation Key
n.

Music A combination of three or more pitches sounded simultaneously.
Harmony, as of color.

v. chord·ed, chord·ing, chords

v. intr.

To be in accord; agree.
Music To play chords on an instrument.

v. tr.

Music To play chords on.
To harmonize.

[Alteration (influenced by chord, musical instrument string) of Middle English cord, from accord, agreement, from Old French acorde, from acorder, to agree; see accord.]

(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

chord² (kôrd, kōrd) Pronunciation Key
n.

A line segment that joins two points on a curve.
A straight line connecting the leading and trailing edges of an airfoil.
Anatomy Variant of cord.
An emotional feeling or response: Her words struck a sympathetic chord in her audience.
Archaic The string of a musical instrument.

[Alteration of cord.]

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

cord (kôrd) Pronunciation Key
n.

A slender length of flexible material usually made of twisted strands or fibers and used to bind, tie, connect, or support.
An insulated flexible electric wire fitted with a plug or plugs.
A hangman's rope.
An influence, feeling, or force that binds or restrains; a bond or tie.
also chord also (kōrd) Anatomy A long ropelike structure, such as a nerve or tendon: a spinal cord.
1. A raised rib on the surface of cloth.
2. A fabric or cloth with such ribs.
cords Trousers made of corduroy.
Abbr. cd. A unit of quantity for cut fuel wood, equal to a stack measuring 4 × 4 × 8 feet or 128 cubic feet (3.62 cubic meters).

tr.v. cord·ed, cord·ing, cords

To fasten or bind with a cord: corded the stack of old newspapers and placed them in the recycling bin.
To furnish with a cord.
To pile (wood) in cords.

[Middle English, from Old French corde, from Latin chorda, from Greek khordē; see gherə- in Indo-European roots.]

cord'er n.

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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
chord (1)

"related notes in music," 1597, aphetic of accord, infl. by L. chorda (see cord). Spelling with an -h- first recorded 1608.

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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
chord (2)

"structure in animals resembling a string," 1541, alt. of cord, by influence of Gk. khorde "gut, string." The geometry sense is from 1551; meaning "feeling, emotion" first attested 1784.

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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

chord
noun
1.	a straight line connecting two points on a curve
2.	a combination of three or more notes that blend harmoniously when sounded together
verb
1.	play chords on (a string instrument)
2.	bring into consonance, harmony, or accord while making music or singing [syn: harmonize]

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American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms - Cite This Source - Share This

chord

see strike a chord.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

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The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

chord (kôrd) Pronunciation Key

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

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American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source - Share This
chord

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.

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American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

chord (kôrd)
n.
Variant of cord.

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Chord

Chord\, n. [L chorda a gut, a string made of a gut, Gr. ?. In the sense of a string or small rope, in general, it is written cord. See Cord.]

1. The string of a musical instrument. --Milton.

2. (Mus.) A combination of tones simultaneously performed, producing more or less perfect harmony, as, the common chord.

3. (Geom.) A right line uniting the extremities of the arc of a circle or curve.

4. (Anat.) A cord. See Cord, n., 4.

5. (Engin.) The upper or lower part of a truss, usually horizontal, resisting compression or tension. --Waddell.

Accidental, Common, & Vocal chords. See under Accidental, Common, and Vocal.

Chord of an arch. See Illust. of Arch.

Chord of curvature, a chord drawn from any point of a curve, in the circle of curvature for that point.

Scale of chords. See Scale.

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Chord

Chord\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Chorded; p. pr. & vb. n. Chording.] To provide with musical chords or strings; to string; to tune.

When Jubal struck the chorded shell. --Dryden.

Even the solitary old pine tree chords his harp. --Beecher.

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Chord

Chord\, v. i. (Mus.) To accord; to harmonize together; as, this note chords with that.

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