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chord

 - 12 dictionary results

chord

1  [kawrd]
Use chord in a Sentence
–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

chord

2  [kawrd]
–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 chord 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To chord
chord 1   (kôrd, kōrd)   
n.  

  1. Music A combination of three or more pitches sounded simultaneously.

  2. Harmony, as of color.

v.   chord·ed, chord·ing, chords

v.   intr.

  1. To be in accord; agree.

  2. Music To play chords on an instrument.

v.   tr.

  1. Music To play chords on.

  2. 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.]
chord 2   (kôrd, kōrd)   
n.  

  1. A line segment that joins two points on a curve.

  2. A straight line connecting the leading and trailing edges of an airfoil.

  3. Anatomy Variant of cord.

  4. An emotional feeling or response: Her words struck a sympathetic chord in her audience.

  5. Archaic The string of a musical instrument.


[Alteration of cord.]
cord   (kôrd)   
n.  

  1. A slender length of flexible material usually made of twisted strands or fibers and used to bind, tie, connect, or support.

  2. An insulated flexible electric wire fitted with a plug or plugs.

  3. A hangman's rope.

  4. An influence, feeling, or force that binds or restrains; a bond or tie.

  5. 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.

  7. cords Trousers made of corduroy.

  8. 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

  1. To fasten or bind with a cord: corded the stack of old newspapers and placed them in the recycling bin.

  2. To furnish with a cord.

  3. 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.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Cultural Dictionary

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.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

chord  (1)
"related notes in music," 1597, aphetic of accord, infl. by L. chorda (see cord). Spelling with an -h- first recorded 1608.

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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: chord
Pronunciation: 'kord
Function: noun
: CORD 2
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

chord (kôrd)
n.
Variant of cord.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
chord   (kôrd)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. A line segment that joins two points on a curve.

  2. A straight line connecting the leading and trailing edges of an airfoil.


The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Idioms & Phrases

chord

see strike a chord.

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