semitone etymology

Etymology:

  • From Middle English semytone, from Medieval Latin semitonium, from Late Latin semitonus, merging of Greek hēmi-, "half" + Greek tonos, "tone".

Meaning:

A semitone is a musical interval that comprises half the distance between two adjacent notes in a 12-tone chromatic scale. It is the smallest interval commonly used in Western music.

Origin:

The concept of the semitone originated in ancient Greek music theory. The Greeks divided their musical scale into a series of intervals called "tones", with each tone being subdivided into two equal parts called "semitones". The semitone was thus named because it represented "half a tone".

In Western music, the semitone emerged as a fundamental interval during the development of the chromatic scale in the Middle Ages. As composers began to use a greater number of notes between the traditional seven-note diatonic scale, the need for smaller intervals became apparent. The semitone became the smallest common interval, and it remains so today.

semitone relate terms

  • tone

    Etymology Origin Middle English toune from Old English tun meaning enclosed set

  • semi

    Etymology The word semi originates from the Latin word semi which means half or

  • half baked

    Etymology an incomplete or inaccurate account of the origin and development of a word Or

  • quick

    Etymology From Latin nexus past participle of nectere to bind Meaning A connection

  • sandblind

    Etymology Sandblind is derived from the Old English words sand meaning sand and

  • interval

    Etymology The word interval comes from the Latin word intervallum which is composed

  • bathroom

  • element

    Element Etymology Meaning Origin Actinium

  • demure

    Etymology The word demure comes from the Old French word de meurs meaning of good

  • bootstrap

    Etymology The word bootstrap comes from the phrase pull oneself up by one s bootstrap

  • crucial

    Etymology Latin cruciālis of the cross Proto Indo European krewk crucify han

  • surgery

  • sanction

    Etymology The word sanction comes from the Latin word sancire which means to make s