Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

monochord

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.27 in modern English

Syllables: mono-chord
IPA

17

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

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.

noun

A stringed instrument with only one string.

noun

A bass note on a piano that has a single string.

Example Sentences

"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.

Origin

Source language: Ancient Greek

Word Breakdown

Root: μονόχορδον

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Music.

Inflected Forms

monochords (plural)

Derived Forms

monochordist

Synonyms

kanon

Questions

What does monochord mean?: 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.
Where does monochord come from?: It is traced to Ancient Greek.

How to pronounce monochord

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “monochord”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “monochord”.
Repeat and practice — Say “monochord” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.