Monochord

noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A musical instrument for experimenting with the mathematical relations of musical sounds, consisting of a single string stretched between two bridges, one or both of which can be moved, and which stand upon a graduated rule for the purpose of changing and measuring the length of the part of the string between them.

    "If a musician were going to give a lecture upon the mathematical part of his art, he would find a very elegant substitute for the monochord in the Chinese kin."

  2. 2
    A stringed instrument with only one string.
  3. 3
    A bass note on a piano that has a single string.

Synonyms

All synonyms
accordaccordancebaby grandbatonchimechiming

Example

More examples

"If a musician were going to give a lecture upon the mathematical part of his art, he would find a very elegant substitute for the monochord in the Chinese kin."

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin monochordon, itself borrowed from Ancient Greek μονόχορδον (monókhordon). By surface analysis, mono- + chord.

Related phrases

musical instrumentstringed instrument

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.