acciaccatura

en-noun

acciaccatura (plural acciaccaturas or acciaccature)

acciaccaturas (plural)
acciaccature (plural)

/əˌt͡ʃɑkəˈtʊɹə/

/əˌt͡ʃækəˈtjʊəɹə/

Borrowed from Italian acciaccatura, from the verb acciaccare (“to crush”).

(music) A short grace note (theoretically taking no time at all), occurring on the beat occupied by the main note to which it is prefixed, one scale-step higher or lower than that main note. (Sometimes equivalent, therefore, to a short appoggiatura, but in Baroque music interpreted differently and more strictly.) Written as a note lighter in appearance, typically a quaver (eighth note), with an oblique stroke through the stem.

acciaccatura

short grace note occurring on the beat occupied by the main note


accolade

First attested in the 1620s, borrowed from French accolade, from Occitan acolada (“an embrace”), from acolar (“to embrace”), from Italian accollato, from Vulgar Latin *accollō (“to hug around the neck”), from Latin ad- + collum (“neck”) (English collar).

der

(music) A brace used to join two or more staves.

аколада

(music) a brace used to join two or more staves


abbreviation

en-noun

abbreviation (countable and uncountable, plural abbreviations)

abbreviation (canonical)
of (canonical)
abbreviations (plural)

First attested 1400–50. From Middle English abbreviacioun, from Middle French abreviation, from Ecclesiastical Latin abbreviātiō, from Latin ad + breviō (“shorten”), from brevis (“short”). By surface analysis, abbreviate + -ion.

(music) A notation used in music score to denote a direction, as pp or mf.

abbreviatur

music: a notation used in music score to denote a direction

(music) One or more dashes through the stem of a note, dividing it respectively into quavers, semiquavers, demisemiquavers, or hemidemisemiquavers.

lyhennysmerkki

music: one or more dashes through the stem of a note


woodwind

(music) Any (typically wooden) musical instrument that produces sound by the player blowing into it, through a reed, or across an opening. Woodwind instruments include the recorder, flute, piccolo, clarinet, oboe, cor anglais and bassoon.


accidental

en-adj

accidental (comparative more accidental, superlative most accidental)

more accidental (comparative)
most accidental (superlative)

From Middle English accidental, from Anglo-Norman accidentel, Middle French accidentel, accidental, and their source, Late Latin accidēntālis; corresponding to accident + -al.

(music) Adjusted by one or two semitones, in temporary departure from the key signature.


accidental

(music) A sharp, flat, or natural, occurring not at the commencement of a piece of music as the signature, but before a particular note.


leap

From Middle English lepen, from Old English hlēapan, from Proto-West Germanic *hlaupan, from Proto-Germanic *hlaupaną. Doublet of lope, lowp, elope, gallop, galop, interlope, and loop.
Cognate with West Frisian ljeppe (“to jump”), Dutch lopen (“to run; to walk”), German laufen (“to run; to walk”), Danish løbe, Norwegian Bokmål løpe, from Proto-Indo-European *klewb- (“to spring, stumble”) (compare Lithuanian šlùbti ‘to become lame’, klùbti ‘to stumble’).

der

(music) A passing from one note to another by an interval, especially by a long one, or by one including several other intermediate intervals.


metric

From French métrique (1864), from New Latin metricus (“pertaining to the system based on the meter”), from metrum (“a meter”); see meter.

(music) Of or relating to the meter of a piece of music.


aria

From Italian aria, metathesis from Latin āerem, accusative of āēr, from Ancient Greek ἀήρ (aḗr, “air”). Doublet of air.

(music) A musical piece written typically for a solo voice with orchestral accompaniment in an opera or cantata.


andante

The music’s marking is andante, a delicate footfall.

2016, Ian McEwan, Nutshell, Vintage, page 198

(music) A tempo mark directing that a passage is to be played in a moderately slow tempo; faster than adagio but slower than moderato.

andante

passage played in a moderately slow tempo


andante

(music) Played at a moderately slow tempo.


andante

(music) Describing a passage having this mark.


fa

From Glover's solmization, from Middle English fa (“fourth degree or note of Guido of Arezzo's hexachordal scales”), Italian fa in the solmization of Guido of Arezzo, from the first syllable of Latin famulī (“servants”) in the lyrics of the scale-ascending hymn Ut queant laxis by Paulus Deacon.

inh

(music) A syllable used in solfège to represent the fourth diatonic (or sixth chromatic) note of a major scale.


crow

en-verb

crow (third-person singular simple present crows, present participle crowing, simple past crowed or (UK) crew, past participle crowed or (archaic) crown)

crows (present singular third-person)
crowing (participle present)
crowed (past)
crew (UK past)
crowed (participle past)
crown (archaic participle past)

The verb is from Middle English crowen, from Old English crāwan (past tense crēow, past participle crāwen), from Proto-West Germanic *krāan, from Proto-Germanic *krēaną, from imitative Proto-Indo-European *gerH- (“to cry hoarsely”).
The noun is from Middle English crowe, from the verb.
Compare Dutch kraaien, German krähen, Lithuanian gróti, Russian гра́ять (grájatʹ)). Related to croak.

onomatopoeic

imitative

der

(intransitive, music) To test the reed of a double reed instrument by placing the reed alone in the mouth and blowing it.


f

Abbreviations.
f
# (stenoscript) Abbreviation of for.
# (stenoscript) prefix for-.
# (stenoscript) suffix/sequence for(e).

ng

prefix <i class="Latn mention" lang="en">for-</i>.

(music) The name of the fourth tone of the model scale, or scale of C. F sharp (F♯) is a tone intermediate between F and G.


digital

en-noun

digital (countable and uncountable, plural digitals)

/ˈdɪd͡ʒɪtl̩/

Borrowed from Latin digitālis, from digitus (“finger, toe”) + -alis (“-al”). Doublet of digitalis.

Beginning with the keyboard, direct attention to the grouping of the black digitals, and show that though at the outer edge of the keyboard the white digitals look as if they were all equally close neighbours, yet, […]

c.1920?, Annie Jessy Gregg Curwen, The Teacher's Guide to Mrs. Curwen's Pianoforte Method (The Child Pianist)

(music) Any of the keys of a piano or similar instrument.


above

From Middle English above, aboven, abuven, from Old English ābufan, onbufan, from on (“on”) + bufan (“over”), (akin to Icelandic ofan (“from above”), Middle Dutch bōven, Old Frisian bova, Middle High German bobene) from bī (“by”) + ufan (“over”); also cognate with Danish oven, Dutch boven, German oben, Swedish ovan, Old Saxon oƀan, Old High German obana.
The preposition, adjective and the noun derive from the adverb.


book

Sranan Tongo: buku

Tok Pisin: buk
→ Rotokas: vuku

→ Chichewa: buku

→ Hawaiian: puke

→ Malagasy: boky

→ Maori: pukapuka (with reduplication)

→ Marshallese: bok

→ Motu: buka

→ Malagasy: boky

→ Shona: bhuku

→ Somali: buugga

i

possibly also from Afrikaans <i class="Latn mention" lang="af">boek</i>

→ Sotho: buka (possibly also from Afrikaans boek)

→ Zulu: ibhuku (possibly also from Afrikaans boek)

From Middle English bok, book, from Old English bōc, from Proto-West Germanic *bōk, from Proto-Germanic *bōks. Eclipsed non-native Middle English livret, lyveret (“book, booklet”) from Old French livret (“book, booklet”). Bookmaker sense by clipping.

buck (without the foot-strut split, most accents)

have more chins than a Chinese phone book

why buy a book when you can join a library

why buy a book when you can join the library

The guild helps ensure that the ownership and control of the music, lyrics, and book of a show remain in the hands of its authors and composers—not the producers.

2010, David Baskerville, Tim Baskerville, Music Business Handbook and Career Guide, page 172

(theater) The script of a musical or opera.


accompaniment

en-noun

accompaniment (countable and uncountable, plural accompaniments)

From French accompagnement; equivalent to accompany + -ment. First attested in 1744.

Brooks performed a saxophone solo on stage, with Robert as accompaniment on the bass.

(music) A part, usually performed by instruments, that gives support or adds to the background in music, or adds for ornamentation; also, the harmony of a figured bass.

مُصَاحَبَة

music: that which gives support or adds to the background


feature

→ German: Feature

→ Ukrainian: фі́ча (fíča)

From Middle English feture, from Anglo-Norman feture, from Old French faiture, from Latin factūra, from Latin factus, from Latin faciō (“do, make”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- (“to put, place, set”). Doublet of facture.

feature

long, prominent article or item in the media

(music) The act of being featured in a piece of music.


comma

en-noun

comma (plural commas or (rare) commata or (obsolete) commaes)

commas (plural)
commata (plural rare)
commaes (obsolete plural)

From Latin comma, from Ancient Greek κόμμα (kómma), from κόπτω (kóptō, “I cut”).

(music) A difference in the calculation of nearly identical intervals by different ways.


and

From Middle English and, an, from Old English and, ond, end, from Proto-West Germanic *andi, from Proto-Germanic *andi, *anþi, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂énti (“facing opposite, near, in front of, before”). Cognate with Scots an (“and”), North Frisian en (“and”), West Frisian en, in (“and”), Low German un (“and”), Dutch en (“and”), German und (“and”), Danish end (“but”), Swedish än (“yet, but”), Icelandic and Norwegian enn (“still, yet”), Albanian edhe (“and”) (dialectal ênde, ênne), ende (“still, yet, therefore”), Latin ante (“opposite, in front of”), and Ancient Greek ἀντί (antí, “opposite, facing”). Doublet of an ("if").

cog

(unstressed form, also for some speakers stressed form) end

The same goes for measure 42, when you begin the phrase on the and of 1, because that kind of lick can easily bog down the time.

2006, Gordon Goodwin, Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band: Trumpet, page 51

(music, often informal) In rhythm, the second half of a divided beat.


industrial

en-adj

industrial (comparative more industrial, superlative most industrial)

more industrial (comparative)
most industrial (superlative)

a track with clashing industrial beats

(music) Belonging or pertaining to the genre of industrial music.


point

→ Cantonese: point

→ Indonesian: poin

→ Japanese: ポイント (pointo)

→ Korean: 포인트 (pointeu)

From Middle English poynt, from Old French point m (“dot; minute amount”), from Latin pūnctum (“a hole punched in; a point, puncture”), substantive use of pūnctus m, perfect passive participle of pungō (“I prick, punch”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pewǵ- (“prick, punch”)); alternatively, from Old French pointe f (“sharp tip”), from Latin pūncta f (past participle). Displaced native Middle English ord (“point”), from Old English ord (“point”). Doublet of pointe, punctum, punt, and punto.

kärki

position at the front or vanguard of an advancing force

decimal point

not used when reading decimal fractions aloud

(music) A dot or mark used to designate certain tones or time. In ancient music, it distinguished or characterized certain tones or styles (points of perfection, of augmentation, etc.). In modern music, it is placed on the right of a note to raise its value, or prolong its time, by one half.


accompany

en-verb

accompany (third-person singular simple present accompanies, present participle accompanying, simple past and past participle accompanied)

accompanies (present singular third-person)
accompanying (participle present)
accompanied (participle past)
accompanied (past)

* First attested in early 15th century.
From Middle English accompanien, from Old French acompagner (“to associate with”), from compaing (“companion”), nominative singular of compaignon (“companion”). See company.

der

en:to perform an accompanying part next to another instrument

(intransitive, music) To perform an accompanying part or parts in a composition.

صَاحَبَ

to perform an accompanying part or parts in a composition

The strings were accompanied by two woodwinds.

I will accompany her on the oboe.

(transitive, music) To perform an accompanying part next to (another instrument or musician).


false

en-adj

false (comparative falser, superlative falsest)

falser (comparative)
falsest (superlative)

From Middle English false, fals, from Old English fals (“false; counterfeit; fraudulent; wrong; mistaken”), from Latin falsus (“counterfeit, false; falsehood”), perfect passive participle of fallō (“deceive”). Reinforced in Middle English by Anglo-Norman and Old French fals, faus. Compare Scots fals, false, Saterland Frisian falsk, German falsch, Dutch vals, Swedish and Danish falsk; all from Latin falsus. Displaced native Middle English les, lese, from Old English lēas (“false”); See lease, leasing. Doublet of faux.
The verb is from Middle English falsen, falsien, from Old French falser, from Latin falsō (“falsify”), itself also from falsus; compare French fausser (“to falsify, to distort”).


acid

en-adj

acid (comparative acider, superlative acidest)

acider (comparative)
acidest (superlative)

From French acide, from Latin acidus (“sour, acid”), from aceō (“I am sour”). Doublet of agita.

(music) Denoting a musical genre that is a distortion (as if hallucinogenic) of an existing genre, as in acid house, acid jazz, acid rock.


slow

From Middle English slow, slaw, from Old English slāw (“sluggish, inert, slothful, late, tardy, torpid, slow”), from Proto-Germanic *slaiwaz (“blunt, dull, faint, weak, slack”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *sleyH-u- (“bad”). Cognate with Scots slaw (“slow”), West Frisian sleau (“slow, dull, lazy”), Dutch sleeuw (“blunt, dull”), Low German slee (“dull, sluggish”), German schlehe, schleh (“dull, exhausted, faint”), Danish sløv (“dull, torpid, drowsy”), Swedish slö (“slack, lazy”), Icelandic sljór (“dim-witted, slow”).


te

Altered from si in the 19th century to prevent having two notes of the musical scale starting with the same letter, to become ti; the vowel was then changed to 'e' to signify a flattened note.

(music) In solfège, the lowered seventh note of a major scale (the note B-flat in the fixed-do system): ta.


ID

en-noun

ID (countable and uncountable, plural IDs)

(music) An electronic music track without an official title.


absolute

en-adj

absolute (comparative more absolute or absoluter, superlative most absolute or absolutest)

more absolute (comparative)
absoluter (comparative)
most absolute (superlative)
absolutest (superlative)

conditional

antonym(s) of “free of restrictions, limitations, qualifications or conditions”

antonym(s) of “independent of references

First attested around 1380. From Middle English absolut, from Middle French absolut, from Latin absolūtus (“unconditional; unfettered; completed”), perfect passive participle of absolvō (“loosen, set free, complete”), from ab (“away”) + solvo (“to loose”). Influenced in part by Old French absolu. Compare absolve.

независим

grammar: not immediately dependent on the other parts of the sentence

categorical

absolute music

(art, music, dance) Independent of (references to) other arts; expressing things (beauty, ideas, etc) only in one art.


A

* (highest rank, grade, music): From the initial position of the letter A in the English alphabet.
* (blood type): From A antigen

Orchestras traditionally tune to a concert A.

(music) A tone three fifths above C in the cycle of fifths; the sixth tone of the C major scale; the first note of the minor scale of A minor; the reference tone that occurs at exactly 440 Hz; the printed or written note A; the scale with A as its keynote.


wolf

→ Ido: volfo (also from German)

From Middle English wolf, from Old English wulf, ƿulf, from Proto-West Germanic *wulf, from Proto-Germanic *wulfaz, from Proto-Indo-European *wĺ̥kʷos. See also Saterland Frisian Wulf, West Frisian and Dutch wolf, German Wolf, Norwegian and Danish ulv; also Sanskrit वृक (vṛ́ka), Persian گرگ (gorg), Lithuanian vilkas, Russian волк (volk), Albanian ujk, Latin lupus, Greek λύκος (lýkos), Tocharian B walkwe). Doublet of lobo and lupus.

the wolf may lose his teeth but never his nature

who keeps company with the wolf will learn to howl

The soft violin solo was marred by persistent wolves.


secondo

(music) The second part in a concerted piece.


cowbell

en-noun

cowbell (countable and uncountable, plural cowbells)

This song would sound better with the addition of a cowbell.

It's good, but it really needs more cowbell.

(music) A musical instrument, typically found without a clapper.


on

From Middle English on, from Old English on, an (“on, upon, onto, in, into”), from Proto-West Germanic *ana, from Proto-Germanic *ana (“on, at”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂en-.
Cognate with North Frisian a (“on, in”), Saterland Frisian an (“on, at”), West Frisian oan (“on, at”), Dutch aan (“on, at, to”), Low German an (“on, at”), German an (“to, at, on”), Swedish å (“on, at, in”), Faroese á (“on, onto, in, at”), Icelandic á (“on, in”), Gothic 𐌰𐌽𐌰 (ana), Ancient Greek ἀνά (aná, “up, upon”), Albanian në (“in”); and from Old Norse upp á: Danish på, Swedish på, Norwegian på, see upon.

Southern US, Midland US, Philadelphia, Baltimore

(acting, drama, roleplaying games) Acting in character.


open

en-adj

open (comparative more open, superlative most open)

more open (comparative)
most open (superlative)

closed-source

antonym(s) of “with a free license and no proprietary components”

From Middle English open, from Old English open (“open”), from Proto-West Germanic *opan, from Proto-Germanic *upanaz (“open”), from Proto-Indo-European *upo (“up from under, over”).
cognates
* Scots apen (“open”)
* Saterland Frisian eepen (“open”)
* West Frisian iepen (“open”)
* Dutch open (“open”)
* Low German open, apen (“open”)
* German offen (“open”)
* Danish åben (“open”)
* Swedish öppen (“open”)
* Norwegian Bokmål åpen (“open”)
* Norwegian Nynorsk open (“open”)
* Icelandic opinn (“open”)
 Compare also Latin supinus (“on one's back, supine”), Albanian hap (“to open”). Related to up.

der

at church every time the doors swing open

(music, stringed instruments) Of a note, played without pressing the string against the fingerboard.

avoin

music: without any fingers pressing the string against the fingerboard

(music) Of a note, played without closing any finger-hole, key or valve.


accent

en-noun

accent (countable and uncountable, plural accents)

From Middle English accent, from Medieval Latin accentus and Old French accent, acent, both from Latin accentus, past participle of accinō (“sing to, sing along”). The word accent had been borrowed into Old English already, but was lost and reborrowed in Middle English.

tongval

distinctive pronunciation associated with a region, social group, etc.

акце́нт

math: mark to distinguish magnitudes of similar kind

pilkku

geometry: mark indicating minutes and seconds of a degree

(music) A regularly recurring stress upon the tone to mark the beginning, and, more feebly, the third part of the measure.

(music) A special emphasis of a tone, even in the weaker part of the measure.

(music) A mark used to represent this special emphasis.

aksenttimerkki

music: mark to represent specific stress on a note

(music) The rhythmical accent, which marks phrases and sections of a period.


star

Sranan Tongo: stari
Aukan: sitali

→ Finnish: stara

→ French: star

→ German: Star

→ Italian: star

→ Swahili: staa

From Middle English sterre, from Old English steorra (“star”), from Proto-West Germanic *sterrō, variant of *sternō, from Proto-Germanic *sternô, *sternǭ (“star”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂stḗr (“star”). Doublet of aster, stella, étoile, and estoile.
cognates
Cognate with Scots starn, ster, North Frisian steer, West Frisian stjer, Saterland Frisian Stiern, Dutch ster, Luxembourgish Stär, German Stern, Yiddish שטערן (shtern), Vilamovian śtaom, Swedish stjärna, Norwegian stjerne, Icelandic stjarna, Gothic 𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌽𐍉 (stairnō), Spanish estrella, Portuguese estrela, Italian stella, Romanian stea, Occitan estela, Venetian stéła, Sicilian stidda, Sardinian isteddu, Mirandese streilha, Walloon sitoele, Romansch staila, Megleno-Romanian steau̯ă, Istriot stila, Istro-Romanian ste, Latin stēlla, Greek αστέρι (astéri), Ancient Greek ἀστήρ (astḗr), Old Armenian աստղ (astł), Persian ستاره (setâre), Tajik ситора (sitora), Pashto ستوری (storay), Mazanderani اساره (ëssâre), Northern Kurdish stêr, Central Kurdish ئەستێرە (estêre), Zazaki astare, Ossetian стъалы (st’aly), Hindi तारा (tārā), Urdu تارا (tārā), Punjabi ਤਾਰਾ (tārā), Gujarati તારો (tāro), Sanskrit तारा (tārā).

аеҵǝа

a celestial body appearing as a point of light on the clear night sky, whose position is relatively fixed with respect to each other

Many Hollywood stars attended the launch party.


abstract

en-adj

abstract (comparative more abstract or abstracter, superlative most abstract or abstractest)

more abstract (comparative)
abstracter (comparative)
most abstract (superlative)
abstractest (superlative)

From Middle English abstract, borrowed from Latin abstractus, perfect passive participle of abstrahō (“draw away”), formed from abs- (“away”) + trahō (“to pull, draw”). The verbal sense is first attested in 1542.

(art) Pertaining to the formal aspect of art, such as the lines, colors, shapes, and the relationships among them.


tempo

Borrowed from Italian tempo, from Latin tempus (“time”). Doublet of tense.

(music) The number of beats per minute in a piece of music; also, an indicative term denoting approximate rate of speed in written music (examples: allegro, andante)


throne

From Middle English trone, from Old French trone, from Latin thronus, from Ancient Greek θρόνος (thrónos, “chair, throne”). Superseded earlier seld (“seat, throne”).

der

(music) A kind of stool used by drummers.


take

Brill Publishers
Helmut Rix
Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben

From Middle English taken (“to take, lay hold of, grasp, strike”), from Old English tacan (“to grasp, touch”), of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse taka (“to touch, take”), from Proto-Germanic *tēkaną (“to touch”), from pre-Germanic *deh₁g- (“to touch”), possibly a phonetically altered form of Proto-Indo-European *te-th₂g- (“to touch, take”) (see there for details).
Cognate with Scots tak, Icelandic and Norwegian Nynorsk taka (“to take”), Norwegian Bokmål ta (“to take”), Swedish ta (“to take”), Danish tage (“to take, seize”), Middle Dutch taken (“to grasp”), Dutch taken (“to take; grasp”), Middle Low German tacken (“to grasp”). English thack may be from the same root. Compare tackle. Unrelated to Lithuanian tèkti (“to receive, be granted”), which is instead cognate with English thig.
Gradually displaced Middle English nimen (“to take”; see nim), from Old English niman (“to take”).

noncog

(music) A recording of a musical performance made during an uninterrupted single recording period.


seventh

From Middle English seventhe, sefte, from Old English seofoþa, from Proto-West Germanic *sebundō, from Proto-Germanic *sebundô.

(music) A tone of the seventh degree from a given tone, the interval between two such tones, or the two tones sounding in unison.


fourteenth

/ˌfɔːˈtiːnθ/

/ˌfɔɹˈtiːnθ/

(music) The interval comprising an octave and a seventh.

kvartdecima

the interval comprising an octave and a seventh


fifteenth

(music) The interval comprising two octaves.


thirteenth

/ˌθɜːˈtiːnθ/

(music) The interval comprising an octave and a sixth.

tredesiimi

the interval comprising an octave and a sixth


eleventh

From Middle English elleventhe, from elleven + -the, equivalent to eleven + -th. This re-formation replaced inherited forms such as endleft, ellefthe, from Old English endlefta, from Proto-Germanic *ainaliftô.

(music) The note eleven scale degrees from the root of a chord.

undecima

the note eleven scale degrees from the root of a chord


twelfth

From Middle English twelfthe, twelfte, from Old English twelfta (“twelfth”), from Proto-Germanic *twaliftô (“twelfth”), equivalent to twelve + -th. Cognate with Scots twalt (“twelfth”), Saterland Frisian tweelfte (“twelfth”), West Frisian tolfde (“twelfth”), Dutch twaalfde (“twelfth”), German Low German twalfde, twalvde (“twelfth”), German zwölfte (“twelfth”), Danish tolvte (“twelfth”),
Swedish tolfte (“twelfth”), Icelandic tólfta (“twelfth”).

twelfe

but the corresponding pronunciation /twɛlf/ is still widespread today

(music) An interval equal to an octave plus a fifth.


triangle

/ˈtɹaɪəŋɡəl/

/ˈtɹaɪˌæŋɡəl/

/ˈtɹaɪˌæŋɡəl/

PIE word
 *tréyes
From Middle English triangle, from Old French triangle, from Latin triangulum, noun use of adjective triangulus (“three-cornered, having three angles”), from trēs (“three”) + angulus (“corner, angle”), equivalent to tri- + angle.

percussion instrument
percussion instrument

(music) A percussion instrument made by forming a metal rod into a triangular shape which is open at one angle. It is suspended from a string and hit with a metal bar to make a resonant sound.


keyboard

(music) A component of many instruments including the piano, organ, and harpsichord consisting of usually black and white keys that cause different tones to be produced when struck.

(music) A device with keys of a musical keyboard, used to control electronic sound-producing devices which may be built into or separate from the keyboard device.

klawerbord

electronic device with keys of a musical keyboard


ground

en-noun

ground (countable and uncountable, plural grounds)

From Middle English grounde, from Old English grund, from Proto-Germanic *grunduz. Cognate with West Frisian grûn, Dutch grond and German Grund.

cut the ground from under someone's feet

know one's ass from a hole in the ground

know one's head from a hole in the ground

know the difference between one's ass and a hole in the ground

(music) A composition in which the bass, consisting of a few bars of independent notes, is continually repeated to a varying melody.

(music) The tune on which descants are raised; the plain song.


compass

From Middle English compas (“a circle, circuit, limit, form, a mathematical instrument”), from Old French compas, from Medieval Latin compassus (“a circle, a circuit”), from Latin com- (“together”) + passus (“a pace, step, later a pass, way, route”); see pass, pace.

der

(music) The range of notes of a musical instrument or voice.


adjunct

/ˈæd͡ʒ.ʌŋkt/

From Latin adiunctus, perfect passive participle of adiungō (“join to”), from ad + iungō (“join”). Doublet of adjoint.

(music) A key or scale closely related to another as principal; a relative or attendant key.


fourth

non-rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger

Inherited from Middle English fourthe, an alteration (due to four) of ferthe, from Old English fēorþa, fēowerþa, from Proto-West Germanic *feurþō, from Proto-Germanic *fedurþô, equivalent to four + -th.
cognates
Compare West Frisian fjirde, Saterland Frisian fjädde, fjoode, Dutch vierde, German Low German feerde, feerd, German vierte, Danish fjerde, Icelandic fjórði.

Now I've heard there was a secret chord / That David played, and it pleased the Lord / But you don't really care for music, do ya? / It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth

1984, Leonard Cohen (lyrics and music), “Hallelujah”, in Various Positions

(music) A musical interval which spans four degrees of the diatonic scale, for example C to F (C D E F).

kwart

musical interval spanning four degrees of the diatonic scale


bank

table
Probably from French banc. Of Germanic origin, and akin to English bench.

Edward H[enry] Knight
w:Edward H. Knight

(music) A bench, or row of keys belonging to a keyboard, as in an organ.


pit

From Middle English pit, pet, püt, from Old English pytt, from Proto-West Germanic *puti, from Latin puteus (“trench, pit, well”), although there are phonetic difficulties.

he who digs a pit for others falls in himself

(music) The section of a marching band containing mallet percussion instruments and other large percussion instruments too large to be marched, such as the tam-tam; the front ensemble. Can also refer to the area on the sidelines where these instruments are placed.


tenth

From Middle English tenth, tenthe. Old English had tēoþa (origin of Modern English tithe), but the force of analogy to the cardinal number "ten" caused Middle English speakers to recreate the regular ordinal and re-insert the nasal consonant. Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *tehundô. Equivalent to ten (numeral) + -th (suffix forming ordinals).

affix

(music) The interval between any tone and the tone represented on the tenth degree of the staff above it, as between one of the scale and three of the octave above; the octave of the third.

decima

the interval between any tone and the tone represented on the tenth degree of the staff above it


second

From Middle English secunde, second, secound, secund, borrowed from Old French second, seond, from Latin secundus (“following, next in order”), from root of sequor (“I follow”), from Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ- (“to follow”). Doublet of secundo. Displaced native twoth and partially displaced native other (from Old English ōþer (“other; next; second”)).

noncog

(music) The interval between two adjacent notes in a diatonic scale (either or both of them may be raised or lowered from the basic scale via any type of accidental).

sekunde

music: interval between two adjacent notes


second

en-verb

second (third-person singular simple present seconds, present participle seconding, simple past and past participle seconded)

seconds (present singular third-person)
seconding (participle present)
seconded (participle past)
seconded (past)

From Middle French seconder, from Latin secundō (“assist, make favorable”).

der

(transitive, music) To accompany by singing as the second performer.


xylophone

From xylo- (“of wood”) + -phone (“sound”).

All I know how to play on my xylophone is "Mary Had a Little Lamb". Would you like to hear it?

percussion idiophone
percussion idiophone

(music) Any musical instrument (percussion idiophone) made of wooden slats graduated so as to make the sounds of the scale when struck with a small drumstick-like mallet; the standard Western concert xylophone or one of its derivatives.


head

en-noun

head (countable and uncountable, plural heads or head)

base

antonym(s) of “topmost part of anything”

→ Japanese: ヘッド (heddo)

Sranan Tongo: ede

Aukan: ede

Saramaccan: hédi

From Middle English hed, heed, heved, heaved, from Old English hēafd-, hēafod (“head; top; source, origin; chief, leader; capital”), from Proto-West Germanic *haubud, from Proto-Germanic *haubudą (“head”), from Proto-Indo-European *káput-. The modern word comes from Old English oblique stem hēafd-, the expected Modern English outcome for hēafod would be *heaved (similar to the Middle English word). Doublet of cape, capo, caput, chef, chief, and Howth.
cognates
Cognate with Scots heid, hede, hevid, heved (“head”), Old English hafola (“head”), North Frisian hood (“head”), Dutch hoofd (“head”), German Haupt (“head”), Swedish huvud (“head”), Danish hoved (“head”), Icelandic höfuð (“head”), Latin caput (“head”), Sanskrit कपाल (kapāla, “skull”), Hindi कपाल (kapāl, “skull”).

頭

つぶり, tsuburi, つぃぶる, tsiburu, つぃぶるぃ, tsiburi

putouskorkeus

fluid dynamics: difference in elevation in a column of fluid, and the resulting pressure

have one's head screwed on the right way

run around like a chicken with its head cut off

would lose one's head if it wasn't attached

you can't put an old head on young shoulders

you can't put a wise head on young shoulders

Tap the head of the drum for this roll.

(countable) The topmost, foremost, or leading part.

(countable) The principal operative part of a machine or tool.

(music) A drum head, the membrane which is hit to produce sound.

The topmost, foremost, or leading part.
The headstock of a guitar.

Only true heads know this.

(social, countable, metonymically) A leader or expert.

(music, slang, figurative, metonymically) A person with an extensive knowledge of hip hop.


boomerang

→ Japanese: ブーメラン (būmeran)

Roll: A live action changing from one color to another. Typically requires dexterity to "crossfade" between two colors in the boomerang with one hand while following with the other.

2013, Steven Louis Shelley, A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting

If you are spot one you should push down on the first lever on the boomerang to load frame one. Spot two should do the same with frame five. On the go, both spot ops should run their dowser levers to bring the light up on the target specified by the cue caller.

2013, John Holloway, Illustrated Theatre Production Guide, page 144

(theater) A device for changing the color of a followspot.


green

en-noun

green (countable and uncountable, plural greens)

→⇒ Chinese: 果嶺／果岭 (guǒlǐng)

→ Czech: green

→ Danish: green

→ Dutch: green

→ Finnish: griini

→ German: Green

→ Marshallese: kūriin

Etymology tree
Proto-Germanic *grōniz
Proto-Indo-European *-h₂
Proto-Indo-European *-ih₂
Proto-Germanic *-į̄
Proto-West Germanic *-ī
Proto-West Germanic *grōnī
Old English grēne
Middle English grene
English green
From Middle English grene, from Old English grēne, from Proto-West Germanic *grōnī, from Proto-Germanic *grōniz, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰreh₁- (“to grow”). More at grow.
See also North Frisian green, West Frisian grien, Dutch groen, Low German grön, green, greun, German grün, Danish and Norwegian Nynorsk grøn, Swedish grön, Norwegian Bokmål grønn, Icelandic grænn.

der

Today, actors say off-handedly, 'See you on the green' or 'I'll be in the green room' without giving the expressions much thought. In Shakespeare's day, actors changed behind the stage in the 'tiring house', […]

2016, Bruce Montague, The Book of Shakespearian Useless Information

(theater, informal) Short for green room.


third

en-noun

third (countable and uncountable, plural thirds)

PIE word
 *tréyes
From Middle English thirde, thridde, from Old English þridda, from Proto-Germanic *þridjô, from Pre-Germanic *tretyós, a remodeling of Proto-Indo-European *tr̥tyós.

They sing in thirds.

(music) An interval consisting of the first and third notes in a scale.


ninth

From Middle English nynthe, nynte, from Old English niġoþa, from Proto-Germanic *newundô; the -n- was reinserted by analogy with nine.

(music) The compound interval between any tone and the tone represented on the ninth degree of the staff above it, as between one of the scale and two of the octave above; the octave of the second, consisting of 13 or 14 semitones (called minor and major ninth).


copula

Borrowed from Latin copula (“connection, linking of words”), from co- (“together”) + apere (“fasten”). Doublet of couple.

bor

(music) A device that connects two or more keyboards of an organ.


octuplet

(music) A group of eight notes played in the time of six.


quaver

From Middle English quaveren, frequentative form of quaven, cwavien (“to tremble”), equivalent to quave + -er. Cognate with Low German quabbeln (“to quiver”), German quabbeln, quappeln (“to quiver”). More at quave, quab, quiver.

(music) an eighth note, drawn as a crotchet (quarter note) with a tail.

โน้ตตัวเขบ็ดหนึ่งชั้น (nóot-dtuua-kà-bèt-nʉ̀ng-chán, literally “one layer quaver body note”)


sextuplet

(music) A group of six notes played in the time of four.

(music, proscribed) A group of six notes played in the time of four, with accents on the first, third and fifth notes.

(music, proscribed) A group of six notes played in the time of four, with accents on the first and fourth notes; a double triplet.

(music, proscribed) A group of six notes played in the time of four, with an accent only on the first note.


quadruplet

A set of four, particularly
(music) A tuplet of four notes.

A set of four, particularly
A tuplet of four notes.


fifth

PIE word
 *pénkʷe
From Middle English fifthe, fifte, fift, from Old English fīfta (“fifth”), from Proto-Germanic *fimftô (“fifth”) or *femftô, equivalent to five + -th. Cognate with Scots fift, fyft (“fifth”), North Frisian fyfde (“fifth”), West Frisian fyfde (“fifth”), Dutch vijfde (“fifth”), Low German fifte, föfte, füfte (“fifth”), German fünfte (“fifth”), Danish femte (“fifth”), Swedish femte (“fifth”), Icelandic fimmta (“fifth”).

(music) The musical interval between one note and another five scale degrees higher (the fifth note in a scale)


fifth

en-verb

fifth (third-person singular simple present fifths, present participle fifthing, simple past and past participle fifthed)

fifths (present singular third-person)
fifthing (participle present)
fifthed (participle past)
fifthed (past)

Another extension of strict organum is 'fifthing'. Fifthing is a note-against- note method of creating a two-part texture by improvising a second voice over the given tune, starting and ending each musical phrase at the octave and proceeding mainly in fifths above the tune at others times.

1996, Music in Early English Religious Drama: Minstrels playing, page 510

Each of these three groups contributes some special insight into the nature of fifthing and the context in which it was practiced.

1978, Discant and the Theory of Fifthing

(music) To sing in the fifth voice in a polyphonic melody.


sixth

six (frequent reduced form before a consonant)

From earlier sixt, from Middle English sixte, from Old English siexta, from Proto-Germanic *sehstô.

(music) The interval between one note and another, five notes higher in the scale, for example C to A, a major sixth, or C to A flat, a minor sixth. (Note that the interval covers six notes counting inclusively, for example C-D-E-F-G-A.)


time

en-noun

time (countable and uncountable, plural times)

Sranan Tongo: ten

From Middle English tyme, time, from Old English tīma (“time, period, space of time, season, lifetime, fixed time, favorable time, opportunity”), from Proto-West Germanic *tīmō, from Proto-Germanic *tīmô (“time”), from Proto-Indo-European *deh₂imō, from Proto-Indo-European *deh₂y- (“to divide”). Related to tide. Not related to Latin tempus.
cognates
*Scots tym, tyme (“time”)
*Alemannic German Zimen, Zīmmän (“time, time of the year, opportune time, opportunity”)
*Danish time (“hour, lesson”)
*Swedish timme (“hour”)
*Norwegian time (“lesson, hour”)
*Faroese tími (“hour, lesson, time”)
*Icelandic tími (“time, season”).

عَصْر

extended period of time, defined or undefined: age, era, etc.

desperate times call for desperate measures

desperate times require desperate measures

serial time-encoded amplified microscopy

there is a place and time for everything

there is a time and place for everything

there's a time and a place for everything

time spent laughing is time spent with the gods

time stretch analog-to-digital converter

Appendix:Roget MICRA thesaurus/Class I § 106. Time

The musician keeps good time.

(music, uncountable) The measured duration of sounds.

(uncountable) Tempo; a measured rate of movement.

The measured duration of sounds.
Tempo; a measured rate of movement.

common or triple time; time signature

(uncountable) Rhythmical division, meter.

The measured duration of sounds.
Rhythmical division, meter.

কাল

major division of the year: month, season, etc.

After the introduction, the drummer is to play time.

(jazz) (uncountable) A straight rhythmic pattern, free from fills, breaks and other embellishments.

(dated) dance time; march time (see usage notes)


consonant

en-adj

consonant (comparative more consonant, superlative most consonant)

more consonant (comparative)
most consonant (superlative)

From Middle English consonant or consonaunt, from Old French consonant, from Latin cōnsonāns (“sounding with”), from the prefix con- (“with”) + the present participle sonāns (“sounding”), from sonāre (“to sound”). The Latin is a calque of Ancient Greek σύμφωνον (súmphōnon).

consonant tones; consonant chords

(music) Harmonizing together; accordant.


close

From Middle English closen (“to close, enclose”), partly continuing (in altered form) earlier Middle English clusen (“to close”) (from Old English clȳsan (“to close, shut”); compare beclose, foreclose, etc.), and partly derived from Middle English clos (“close, shut up, confined, secret”, adjective), from Old French clos (“close, confined”, adjective), from Latin clausus (“shut up”, past participle), from claudere (“to bar, block, close, enclose, bring an end to, confine”), from Proto-Indo-European *klāw- (“key, hook, nail”), related to Latin clāvis (“key, deadbolt, bar”), clāvus (“nail, peg”), claustrum (“bar, bolt, barrier”), claustra (“dam, wall, barricade, stronghold”). Cognate with Ancient Greek κλείς (kleís, “bar, bolt, key”), German schließen (“to close, conclude, lock”), Dutch sluiten (“to close, conclude, lock”). Partially replaced Old English lūcan (“to close, lock, enclose”), (whence English lock). Doublet of clause.

cog

(music) The conclusion of a strain of music; cadence.


mi

From Glover's solmization, from Middle English mi (“third degree or note of Guido of Arezzo's hexachordal scales”), Italian mi in the solmization of Guido of Arezzo, from the first syllable of Latin mīra (“miracles; the miraculous”) in the lyrics of the scale-ascending hymn Ut queant laxis by Paulus Deacon.

inh

(music) A syllable used in sol-fa (solfège) to represent the third note of a major scale.


bombard

From Middle English bombard, from Middle French bombarde (“a bombard, mortar, catapult"; also "a bassoon-like musical instrument”), from Latin bombus (“buzzing; booming”).
The modern pronunciation is from modern French bombarde.


stem

From Middle English stem, stemme, stempne, stevin, from Old English stemn, from Proto-West Germanic *stamni, from Proto-Germanic *stamniz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- (“to stand, stay”).

the apple does not fall far from the stem

(music) A vertical stroke marking the length of a note in written music.

varsi

music: vertical stroke of a symbol representing a note in written music

Stem mastering processes a mix by breaking it down into several manageable pieces—that is, stereo stems. The stem approach allows the mastering engineer the opportunity to make larger or smaller changes to separate mix elements before the final compression and limiting are applied to the complete mix.

2019, Karl Pedersen, Mark Grimshaw-Aagaard, The Recording, Mixing, and Mastering Reference Handbook, Oxford University Press, page 268

(music) A premixed portion of a track for use in audio mastering and remixing.


expression

en-noun

expression (countable and uncountable, plural expressions)

Borrowed from Middle French expression, from Late Latin expressiō, expressiōnem (“a pressing out”).
Morphologically express + -ion.

der

(music) The tone of voice or sound in music.


subject

From Latin subiectus (“a subject, an inferior”), subiectum (“the subject of a proposition”), past participle of subiciō (“throw, lay, place”), from sub (“under, at the foot of”) + iaciō (“throw, hurl”).

The earliest known form of subject is the ecclesiastical cantus firmus, or plain song.

1878, William Smith Rockstro, “Subject”, in A Dictionary of Music and Musicians

(music) The main theme or melody, especially in a fugue.


action

en-noun

action (countable and uncountable, plural actions)

→ Arabic: أَكْشِن (ʔakšin)

→ Bulgarian: екшън (ekšǎn)

→ German: Action

→ Irish: aicsean

→ Hebrew: אקשן (akshn)

→ Japanese: アクション (akushon)

→ Korean: 액션 (aeksyeon)

→ Russian: экшн (ekšn)

From Middle English accion, from Old French aucion, acciun, from Latin āctiō (“act of doing or making”), from āctus + action suffix -iō, perfect passive participle of agere (“do, act”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti; see also act, active.
Morphologically act + -ion.

The run in bar 12 is almost impossible with this piano's heavy action.

(music) The mechanism, that is the set of moving mechanical parts, of a keyboard instrument, like a piano, which transfers the motion of the key to the sound-making device.

koneisto

music: set of moving mechanical parts of a keyboard instrument

You're getting fret buzz because the action is too low.

(music, lutherie) The distance separating the strings and the fingerboard on a string instrument.

kielen korkeus

music: distance separating the strings and the fretboard


wax

wax (countable and uncountable, plural waxes)

table
From Middle English wax, from Old English weax, from Proto-Germanic *wahsą, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *woḱ-so-. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Woaks (“wax”), West Frisian waaks (“wax”), Dutch was (“wax”), German Wachs (“wax”), Norwegian voks (“wax”); and with Lithuanian vaškas (“wax”), Proto-Slavic *voskъ (“wax”).

California wax myrtle (Myrica californica

What really started the corn sprouting on Broadway was a lugubrious tune by Louisiana's Jimmie Davis called It Makes No Difference Now. In the late '30s Decca's Recording Chief David Kapp heard this Texas hit and got it on wax.

(uncountable, music, informal) The phonograph record format for music.


finger

en-verb

finger (third-person singular simple present fingers, present participle fingering, simple past and past participle fingered)

fingers (present singular third-person)
fingering (participle present)
fingered (participle past)
fingered (past)

PIE word
 *pénkʷe
From Middle English fynger, finger, from Old English finger (“finger”), from Proto-West Germanic *fingr, from Proto-Germanic *fingraz (“finger”), from Proto-Indo-European *penkʷrós, from *pénkʷe (“five”). Compare West Frisian finger, Low German/German Finger, Dutch vinger, Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish finger; also Old Armenian հինգեր-որդ (hinger-ord, “fifth”). More at five.

digitar

to provide instructions about the use of fingers in music

(transitive, music) To use specified finger positions in producing notes on a musical instrument.

fingri

to use specified finger positions to produce notes on a musical instrument

(transitive, music) To provide instructions in written music as to which fingers are to be used to produce particular notes or passages.


AC

adult contemporary
adult contemporary#English

(music, radio) Initialism of adult contemporary (a radio format).


hallelujah

Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen song)
Messiah
Messiah_Part_II#44

From Hebrew הַלְלוּיָהּ (hal'luyáh, “Praise Yah”).

bor

(music) A song of praise to God; a musical composition based on the word "Hallelujah".


CM

en-noun

CM (countable and uncountable, plural CMs)

Sense "commercial" is a borrowing from Japanese CM (CM, “promotional video”), from English commercial + message.

(music, archaic) Initialism of common meter.


air

air (countable and uncountable, plural airs)

→ Jersey Dutch: êr

From Middle English aire, from Old French air, from Latin āēr, from Ancient Greek ἀήρ (aḗr). Displaced native Old English lyft. More at lift, loft.

хӏауа

mixture of gases making up the atmosphere of the Earth

ayr

especially when referring to the form of music

The lad, his son, had obtained a Jew's-harp, and learned to play upon it the profane airs of "Yankee Doodle," "Hail Columbia," "St. Patrick's Day," and "Auld Lang Syne."

1850, T. S. Arthur, “Deacon Smith and his Violin”, in Sketches of Life and Character, Philadelphia: J. W. Bradley, →OCLC, page 70

(music) A melody or song, especially a solo; an aria.


MC

MC (countable and uncountable, plural MCs or MC's)

Three MC's and one DJ / We be getting down with no delay

1999, “Three MC’s and One DJ”, in Hello Nasty, performed by Beastie Boys


MC

en-verb

MC (third-person singular simple present MCs, present participle MCing, simple past and past participle MCed)

MCs (present singular third-person)
MCing (participle present)
MCed (participle past)
MCed (past)

British rapheads do not usually have a great appreciation for rap acts with a pop edge. And having credits that include a stint MCing for Belgium’s hugely successful pop-dance group Technotronic is something that’s best not mentioned in hip-hop circles.

2000 August 19, Kwaku et al., “Keepin’ It Real around the World”, in Billboard, volume 112, number 34, →ISSN, page 40


sol

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-sol.wav

From Glover's solmization, from Middle English sol (“fifth degree or note of Guido of Arezzo's hexachordal scales”), Italian sol in the solmization of Guido of Arezzo, from the first syllable of Latin solve (“wash away”) in the lyrics of the scale-ascending hymn Ut queant laxis by Paulus Deacon.

inh

In a movable-do or tonic sol-fa system: the fifth step in a scale, preceded by fa and followed by la.

سُول

in a movable-do system: the fifth step in a scale

In a fixed-do system: the musical note G.


VA

en-noun

VA (countable and uncountable, plural VAs)


vox angelica

From Latin vox (“voice”) + angelica (“angelic”).

(music) an organ stop giving a gentle tremolo effect; the voix céleste


salsa

salsa (countable and uncountable, plural salsas)

→ Mongolian: салса (salsa)

Borrowed from Spanish salsa (“sauce”), from Latin salsus (“salted”), whence also the doublet sauce (via Old French).

(uncountable, music) A style of urban music originally from New York heavily influenced by Cuban dance music, jazz and rock.


wood

wood (countable and uncountable, plural woods)

Sranan Tongo: udu

PIE word
 *dwóh₁
From Middle English wode, from Old English wudu, widu (“wood, forest, grove; tree; timber”), from Proto-West Germanic *widu, from Proto-Germanic *widuz (“wood”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weydʰh₁- (“to separate”).
Cognate with Dutch wede (“wood, twig”), Middle High German wite (“wood”), Danish ved (“wood”), Swedish ved (“firewood”), Icelandic viður (“wood”). Further cognates include Irish fiodh (“a wood, tree”), Irish fid (“tree”) and Welsh gwŷdd (“trees”); all from Proto-Celtic *widus (“wood”). Unrelated to Dutch woud (“forest”), German Wald (“forest”) (see English wold).


beginner

From Middle English begynner, equivalent to begin + -er. Cognate with West Frisian begjinner (“beginner”), Dutch beginner (“beginner”), Low German begünner (“beginner”), Danish nybegynder (“beginner, novice”, literally “new-beginner”).

cog

On the stage, the beginners for the first piece had taken their places — the chorus were there, scared but determined, and in the wings waited Harlequin, in the person of Charles Lyall […]

1949, Walter Macqueen-Pope, Gaiety: Theatre of Enchantment, page 60

(theater) An actor who is present on stage in the first moments of a play.


jump

Brill Publishers
hydraulic jump
jump cut
jump discontinuity
jump instruction

From Middle English jumpen (“to walk quickly, run, jump”), probably of Middle Low German or North Germanic origin, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *gumpōną ~ *gumbōną (“to hop, skip, jump”), an iterative verb. The OED suggests an imitative origin. Others have connected it to Ancient Greek ἀθεμβούσα (athemboúsa, “uninhibited”), which is unlikely. Related to jumble. In the sense “to propel oneself” it displaced leap partially and spring largely.
Cognates
Cognate with Middle Dutch gumpen (“to jump”), Low German jumpen (“to jump”), Middle High German gumpen, gampen (“to jump, hop”) (dialectal German gampen, Alemannic German gumpe, Walser dialect kumpu), Old Norse goppa (“to jump”) Danish gumpe (“to jolt”), Swedish gumpa (“to jump”), Danish gimpe (“to move up and down”), Middle English jumpren, jumbren (“to mix, jumble”).

onomatopoeic

imitative

قَفْزَة

instance of propelling oneself into the air — see also leap

Next jump will be at the Chicago Theater, Chicago.

(theater) Synonym of one-night stand (“single evening's performance”)


dub

en-noun

dub (countable and uncountable, plural dubs)

(music, countable) A mostly instrumental remix with all or part of the vocals removed.

It’s also burnished by intriguing sense of vaguely dub-influenced space. At one point, it breaks down to little more than a stabbing, echoing organ with a vintage reggae flavour.

2020 April 23, Alexis Petridis, “The Rolling Stones: Living in a Ghost Town review – their best new song in years”, in The Guardian

(music, uncountable) A style of reggae music involving mixing of different audio tracks.

But I think my bass playing is definitely dub-influenced.

2019 January 18, Jamie Dickson, “Khruangbin: “We’re not intending to create war with our music… It’s the absence of that aggression that a lot of rock bands have””, in Music Radar

Dyl’s polyrhythmic grooves on The Subsurface Project fuse dub techno and drum & bass, mixing modular sounds with hints of warm, jittery jungle.

2020 July 20, Arun Chakal, “The Worked-Up Sound of Drum & Bass in Russia and Eastern Europe”, in Bandcamp Daily

It reminded me of that classic Full Cycle vibe of jazzy soulful sounds blending with dub bass and fx.

2020 August 3, Kane, “The Extended Cut: Zero T - Former Self EP [The North Quarter]”, in Magnetic Magazine

(music, uncountable) A trend in music starting in 2009, in which bass distortion is synced off timing to electronic dance music.


wing

From Middle English winge, wenge, from Old Norse vængr ("wing of a flying animal, wing of a building"; compare vængi (“ship's cabin”)), from Proto-Germanic *wēingijaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂weh₁- (“to blow”), thus related to wind. Cognate with Danish vinge (“wing”), Swedish vinge (“wing”), Icelandic vængur (“wing”).
Replaced native Middle English fither (from Old English fiþre, from Proto-Germanic *fiþriją), which merged with Middle English fether (from Old English feþer, from Proto-Germanic *feþrō). More at feather.

gl

"wing of a flying animal, wing of a building"; compare <i class="Latn mention" lang="non">vængi</i> (“ship's cabin”)

der

(theater) One of the unseen areas on the side of the stage in a theatre.


chair

→ Assamese: চেয়াৰ (sear)

desc

→ Bengali: চেয়ার (ceẏar), চ্যার (cêr) — obsolete

→ Odia: ଚେଆର୍ (ceār), ଚିୟାର୍ (ciyār), ଚିଆର (ciāra)

Tok Pisin: sea, sia

→ Tongan: sea

From Middle English chayer, chaire, chaiere, chaere, chayre, chayere, from Old French chaiere, chaere, from Latin cathedra (“seat”), from Ancient Greek καθέδρα (kathédra), from κατά (katá, “down”) + ἕδρα (hédra, “seat”). Displaced native stool and settle, which now have more specialised senses. Doublet of cathedra and chaise.

My violin teacher used to play first chair with the Boston Pops.

(music) The seating position of a particular musician in an orchestra.


son

From Spanish son (literally “tone, sound”).

When son first emerged in the streets of Havana, in the early twentieth century, it was shut down by the police, as were most forms of African culture. Son groups, conjuntos, caught playing on the street, as was the tradition, had their instruments confiscated.

2017, Mark Kurlansky, Havana: A Subtropical Delirium, Bloomsbury

(music) Son cubano, a genre of music and dance blending Spanish and African elements that originated in Cuba during the late 19th century.


Goa

From Portuguese Goa, from Konkani गोंय (goiya), from Sanskrit गोमन्त (gomanta).

(music) A form of trance music that originated during the late 1980s in Goa, India.


phrase

From Late Latin phrasis (“diction”), from Ancient Greek φράσις (phrásis, “manner of expression”), from φράζω (phrázō, “I tell, express”).

der

(music) A small section of music in a larger piece.

фра́за

music: small section of music in a larger piece


phrase

en-verb

phrase (third-person singular simple present phrases, present participle phrasing, simple past and past participle phrased)

phrases (present singular third-person)
phrasing (participle present)
phrased (participle past)
phrased (past)

(intransitive, music) To perform a passage with the correct phrasing.

фрази́рам

music: perform a passage with the correct phrasing

(transitive, music) To divide into melodic phrases.


loco

(music) A direction in written or printed music to be returning to the proper pitch after having played an octave higher or lower.


matador

head

matador (plural matadors or matadores, feminine matadora)

matadors (plural)
matadores (plural)
matadora (feminine)

Borrowed from Spanish matador (“killer”). Used in the English language as title for a bullfighter, however referred to as a torero in Spain.

(bullfighting) The person whose aim is to kill the bull in a bullfight.


touch

en-noun

touch (countable and uncountable, plural touches)

From Middle English touchen, tochen, from Old French tochier (“to touch”) (whence Modern French toucher; compare French doublet toquer (“to offend, bother, harass”)), from Vulgar Latin *tuccō (“to knock, strike, offend”), from Frankish *tukkōn (“to knock, strike, touch”), from Proto-Germanic *tukkōną (“to tug, grab, grasp”), from Proto-Indo-European *dewk- (“to draw, pull, lead”). Displaced native Middle English rinen, from Old English hrīnan (whence Modern English rine).
cognates
Cognate with Old High German zochhōn, zuhhōn (“to grasp, take, seize, snatch”) (whence German zucken (“to jerk, flinch”)), German Low German tucken, tocken (“to fidget, twitch, pull up, entice, throb, knock, repeatedly tap”), Middle Dutch tocken, tucken (“to touch, entice”) (whence Dutch tokkelen (“to strum, pluck”)), Old English tucian, tūcian (“to disturb, mistreat”) (whence Modern English tuck). Compare also Old High German tokkōn, tockōn (“to abut, collide”). Outside Germanic, cognate to Albanian cek (“to touch”), Old Church Slavonic тъкнѫти (tŭknǫti). More at tuck, take.

der

a heavy touch, or a light touch

(music) The particular or characteristic mode of action, or the resistance of the keys of an instrument to the fingers.


entrance

en-noun

entrance (countable and uncountable, plural entrances)

From Middle French entrance (“entry”). Replaced native Middle English ingang (“entrance, admission”), from Old English ingang (“ingress, entry, entrance”).

cog

(music) The beginning of a musician's playing or singing; entry.

aloitus

music: when a musician starts performing


perfect

en-adj

perfect (comparative perfecter or more perfect, superlative perfectest or most perfect)

perfecter (comparative)
more perfect (comparative)
perfectest (superlative)
most perfect (superlative)

flawed

antonym(s) of “fitting its definition precisely”

faulty

antonym(s) of “without fault or mistake”

From Middle English perfit, from Old French parfit (modern: parfait), from Latin perfectus, perfect passive participle of perficere (“to finish”), from per- (“through, thorough”) + facere (“to do, to make”). Spelling modified 15c. to conform to Latin etymology. Doublet of parfait.
Displaced native Old English fulfremed.

let the perfect be the enemy of the good

perfect fifth

(music) Describing an interval or any compound interval of a unison, octave, or fourths and fifths that are not tritones.

perfektu

music: interval or any compound interval of a unison, octave, or fourths and fifths that are not tritones.


translate

en-verb

translate (third-person singular simple present translates, present participle translating, simple past and past participle translated)

translates (present singular third-person)
translating (participle present)
translated (participle past)
translated (past)
translate (infinitive)

[ˈtʃɹʷɛ̃nzɫæe̯ʔ(t)]

From Middle English translaten (“to transport, translate, transform”), from Anglo-Norman translater, from Latin trānslātus, perfect passive participle of trānsferō (“to transport, carry across, translate”).
In this sense, displaced Old English wendan (“to translate,” also the word for “to turn” and “to change”).

traduir

to change (something) from one form or medium to another

транслирам

to move (something) from one place or position to another

If one were to chart the form of most film songs, translated into conventional terms used in Western music, one would likely see a structure that has an introduction and two or three stanzas: [...]

2015, Jayson Beaster-Jones, “Film Songs at the End of the Colonial Era and the Emergence of Filmi Style”, in Bollywood Sounds: The Cosmopolitan Mediations of Hindi Film Music, Oxford, Oxfordshire, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press

Senses relating to the change of information, etc., from one form to another.

(transitive) To change (something) from one form or medium to another.

(transitive, music) To rearrange (a song or music) in one genre into another.

sovittaa

to rearrange (a song or music) in one genre into another


beat

→ Pennsylvania German: biede

From Middle English beten, from Old English bēatan (“to beat, pound, strike, lash, dash, thrust, hurt, injure”), from Proto-West Germanic *bautan, from Proto-Germanic *bautaną (“to push, strike”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰewd- (“to hit, strike”).
Compare Old Irish fo·botha (“he threatened”), Latin confutō (“I strike down”), fūstis (“stick, club”), Albanian bahe (“sling”), Lithuanian baudžiù, Old Armenian բութ (butʻ)).

der

march to the beat of a different drummer

(music) A pulse on the beat level, the metric level at which pulses are heard as the basic unit. Thus a beat is the basic time unit of a piece.

(music) The rhythm signalled by a conductor or other musician to the members of a group of musicians.


gravity

en-noun

gravity (countable and uncountable, plural gravities)

Learned borrowing from Latin gravitās (“weight”) (compare French gravité), from gravis (“heavy”). Doublet of gravitas. First attested in the 16th century.


ad lib

Abbreviation of ad libitum, borrowed from New Latin ad libitum.

(acting) An instance of something improvised, especially a line.

(music, chiefly hip-hop) Improvised vocals, added after the main vocals have been recorded, which serve to emphasize the rhythm or fill the lyrical bar line.


ad lib

en-verb

ad lib (third-person singular simple present ad libs, present participle ad libbing, simple past and past participle ad libbed)

ad libs (present singular third-person)
ad libbing (participle present)
ad libbed (participle past)
ad libbed (past)

(music, chiefly hip hop, intransitive) To perform ad libs; to improvise lyrics after the main lyrics have been recorded.

(music, chiefly hip hop, transitive) To perform (lyrics) as ad libs.


re

From Glover's solmization, from Middle English re (“second degree or note of Guido of Arezzo's hexachordal scales”), Italian re in the solmization of Guido of Arezzo, from the first syllable of Latin resonāre (“made to resound”) in the lyrics of the scale-ascending hymn Ut queant laxis by Paulus Deacon.

inh

(music) A syllable used in solfège to represent the second note of a major scale.


exeat

Borrowed from Latin exeat, third-person singular subjunctive of exeō (“depart”) used as an impersonal imperative, literally “let him go forth”.

Coordinate term: (plural form) exeunt

(obsolete, theater) A stage direction to leave the stage.


exit

From Middle English exit, from Latin exitus (“departure, going out; way by which one may go out, egress; (figuratively) conclusion, termination; (figuratively) death; income, revenue”), from exeō (“to depart, exit; to avoid, evade; (figuratively) to escape; of time: to expire, run out”) + -tus (suffix forming action nouns from verbs). Exeō is derived from ex- (prefix meaning ‘out, away’) + eō (“to go”) (ultimately from ). The English word is cognate with Italian esito, Portuguese êxito, Spanish éxito. Doublet of ejido.
The verb is derived from the noun.

ikje

action of going out or going away, or leaving — see also departure

Why do directors assume that exits and entrances need not be rehearsed?

1968, Leon C. Miller, “Blocking the Play”, in How to Direct the High School Play, Chicago, Ill.: The Dramatic Publishing Company, →OCLC, pages 39 and 43

An act of going out or going away, or leaving; a departure.

(specifically, drama) The action of an actor leaving a scene or the stage.


exit

en-verb

exit (third-person singular simple present exits, present participle exiting, simple past and past participle exited)

exits (present singular third-person)
exiting (participle present)
exited (participle past)
exited (past)

ацара

to go out or go away from a place or situation — see also depart, leave

Desdemona exits stage left.

(intransitive) To go out or go away from a place or situation; to depart, to leave.

(theater) To leave a scene or depart from a stage.


exit

Borrowed from Latin exit, the third-person singular present active indicative of exeō (“to depart, exit; to avoid, evade; (figuratively) to escape; of time: to expire, run out”); see further at etymology 1 above.

Agnes exit rapidly, and Ravenſburg is partly perſuaded, and partly forced off, by the Prince Palatine. END OF ACT I.

1810 July, Frederic Reynolds, “The Free Knights; or The Edict of Charlemagne. A Drama, in Three Acts, Interspersed with Music; as Performed at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden.”, in The Jersey Magazine; or Monthly Recorder, volume II, number 7, Jersey: Printed and published by J. Stead, →OCLC, act I, scene iii, page 325, column 1

(intransitive, drama, also figuratively) Used as a stage direction for an actor: to leave the scene or stage.

el

used as a stage direction for an actor: to leave the scene or stage


flown

From Middle English flowen, floȝen, from Old English flogen, ġeflogen, past participle of Old English flēogan (“to fly”).

flown scenery


blonde

Coordinate term: redhead

Most [camera crews] carry two blondes and three redheads or their equivalents. Blondes are 2000 watt lamps traditionally with yellow heads (or shells) used to light fairly large areas — also referred to as 2Ks — and redheads smaller 800 watt lamps traditionally with red shells to light faces.

2012, Colin Hart, Television Program Making, page 63

(film, television, theater) A kind of 2,000-watt lamp.


ben

In the Chronicles of the Stage, some curious particulars are given relating to Sir Henry Herbert and the well-known Sir William Davidson, by which we learn, amongst other things, that a “ben” or benefit at Drury Lane, two centuries ago, was worth a hundred pounds.

year?, The Catholic Literary Circular (page 75)

(UK, theater, slang, obsolete) A benefit (performance to raise funds).


graduation

en-noun

graduation (countable and uncountable, plural graduations)

/ˌɡɹæd͡ʒuˈeɪʃən/

/ˌɡɹædjuˈeɪʃən/

оконча́ние

уче́бного заведе́ния

graduation from AKB48

(Japanese entertainment) The action or process of leaving a group.


voice

→ Russian: войс (vojs) (slang, from "voice message")

From Middle English voice, voys, vois, borrowed from Anglo-Norman voiz, voys, voice, Old French vois, voiz (Modern French voix), from Latin vōcem, accusative form of vōx (“voice”), from Proto-Indo-European *wṓkʷs, root noun from *wekʷ- (“to utter, speak”). Cognate with Sanskrit वाच् (vāc), Ancient Greek ὄψ (óps), Persian آواز (âvâz). Displaced native Middle English steven (“voice”) (from Old English stefn (see steven)), Old English hlēoþor, and Old English woþ. Broadly overtook Old English reord. Compare advocate, advowson, avouch, convoke, epic, vocal, vouch, vowel. Doublet of vox.

the voice of the people, the voice of God

The theme of this piece constantly migrates between the three voice parts.

(music) In harmony, an independent vocal or instrumental part in a piece of composition.

stemme

music: independent vocal or instrumental part


lied

Borrowed from German Lied (“song”). Doublet of leed, which was inherited by Old English lēoþ (“poem”).

(music) An art song, usually sung solo in German and accompanied on the piano.


diction

diction (countable and uncountable, plural dictions)

From late Middle English diccion (“something said; a word or phrase”) (an obsolete sense in Modern English), borrowed directly from Latin dictiō (“a saying, speaking, uttering”) or from Old French dicïon (“word”) (Anglo-Norman dictyoun), from Late Latin dictiō (“word”), both from dīcō (“to say, to talk”) + -tiō, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *deyḱ- (“to show, to point out”).
The modern senses of “choice and use of words” and “clarity of word choice” were likely influenced by additional senses of dictiō.


inflect

en-verb

inflect (third-person singular simple present inflects, present participle inflecting, simple past and past participle inflected)

inflects (present singular third-person)
inflecting (participle present)
inflected (participle past)
inflected (past)

From Latin īnflectō, from in- (“in”) + flectō (“I bend”).

The actress has a great skill of being able to inflect her voice to any situation.

(transitive, music) To change the tone or pitch of the voice when speaking or singing.


so

Shortened from sol, to make it an open syllable for uniformity with the rest of the scale, from Glover's solmization, from Middle English sol (“fifth degree or note of Guido of Arezzo's hexachordal scales”), Italian sol in the solmization of Guido of Arezzo, from the first syllable of Latin solve (“wash away”) in the lyrics of the scale-ascending hymn Ut queant laxis by Paulus Deacon.

inh

(music) A syllable used in solfège to represent the fifth note of a major scale.


vocal

en-adj

vocal (comparative more vocal, superlative most vocal)

more vocal (comparative)
most vocal (superlative)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Mélange a trois-vocal.wav

Late Middle English vocal, borrowed from Latin vōcālis (“uttering a voice, sounding, speaking”), from vōx (“a voice, sound, tone”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix). Doublet of vowel and vocalis. Compare Old French vocal.

af

Of, pertaining to, or resembling the human voice or speech.

(music) Relating to, composed or arranged for, or sung by the human voice.


vocal

Best cuts: "The Evil Dude," "Kung Fu, Too!" "Mama Love," "New Orleans" (with a punchy vocal by Teresa Brewer).

1975, Billboard, volume 87, number 24, page 50

(music) A part of a piece of music that is sung.

(acting) A musical performance involving singing.


heel

From Middle English hele, from Old English hēla, from Proto-West Germanic *hą̄hilō, from Proto-Germanic *hanhilaz, diminutive of Proto-Germanic *hanhaz (“heel, hock”), equivalent to hock + -le. More at hock.
Compare North Frisian haiel, West Frisian hyl, Dutch hiel, German Low German Hiel, Danish and Norwegian hæl, Swedish häl.

couldn't pour water out of a boot with the instructions on the heel

(music) The thickening of the neck of a stringed instrument where it attaches to the body.


distance

en-noun

distance (countable and uncountable, plural distances)

From Middle English distance, distaunce, destance (“disagreement, dispute; discrimination; armed conflict; hostility; trouble; space between two points; time interval”), from Anglo-Norman distance, distaunce, destance, Middle French distance, and Old French destance, destaunce, distaunce (“debate; difference, distinction; discord, quarrel; dispute; space between two points; time interval”) (modern French distance), and directly from their etymon Latin distantia (“difference, diversity; distance, remoteness; space between two points”) (whence also Late Latin distantia (“disagreement; discrepancy; gap, opening; time interval”)), from distāns (“being distant; standing apart”) + -ia (suffix forming feminine abstract nouns). Distāns is the present active participle of distō (“to be distant; to stand apart; to differ”), from dis- (prefix meaning ‘apart, asunder; in two’) + stō (“to stand”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- (“to stand (up)”)).
The verb is derived from the noun.
cognates
* Middle Dutch distancie, distantie (modern Dutch distantie); Dutch afstand (“distance”, literally “off-stand, off-stance”)
* German Distanz; German Abstand
* Italian distanza
* Portuguese distância
* Spanish distancia

afstand

(countable, uncountable) amount of space between points

(music) A difference in pitch between sounds; an interval.


angel

Jamaican Creole: ienjel

→ Chinese: 安琪兒／安琪儿 (ānqí'ér)

→ Hawaiian: ʻānela

→ Lingala: anjelu, anzelu

→ Malagasy: anjely

Florence Baptistery
Seven churches of Asia
en:Angel (disambiguation)
en:angel

Two Baroque angels from southern Germany, from the mid-18th century
From Middle English angel, aungel, ængel, engel, from Old English anġel, ænġel, enġel, enċġel (“angel, messenger”), from Proto-West Germanic *angil, borrowed from Latin angelus, itself from Ancient Greek ἄγγελος (ángelos, “messenger”); and also in part from Anglo-Norman angele, angle, from the same Latin source. The religious sense of the Greek word first appeared in the Septuagint as a translation of the Hebrew word מַלְאָךְ (malʾāḵ, “messenger”) or יהוה מַלְאָךְ (malʾāḵ YHWH, “messenger of YHWH”).
Use of the term in some churches to refer to a church official derives from interpreting the "angels" of the Seven churches of Asia in Revelation as being bishops or ministers rather than angelic beings.

der

don't drive faster than your guardian angel can fly

someone that funds
(theater) The person who funds a show.

someone that funds
The person who funds a show.


angel

en-verb

angel (third-person singular simple present angels, present participle angeling or angelling, simple past and past participle angeled or angelled)

angels (present singular third-person)
angeling (participle present)
angelling (participle present)
angeled (participle past)
angeled (past)
angelled (participle past)
angelled (past)

Six years ago, he lost $20,000 in the first show he angelled, a turkey called Dance Night.

1944, Maurice Zolotow, Never Whistle in a Dressing Room; Or, Breakfast in Bedlam, page 59

You've got to come to Chicago to meet Duell, and see Wilson, who's going to angel the show.

1984, “American Magazine”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), volume 118, page 88

(transitive, theater, slang) To support by donating money.


graduate

graduate (third-person singular simple present graduates, present participle graduating, simple past and past participle graduated)

graduates (present singular third-person)
graduating (participle present)
graduated (participle past)
graduated (past)

/ˈɡɹæd͡ʒuɪt/

/ˈɡɹæd͡ʒueɪt/

From Latin graduātus (“graduated”), from gradus (“step”).

Fans speculate that she was forced to graduate due to harassment and doxxing by stalkers and haters.

(intransitive, Japanese entertainment) Of an idol: to exit a group; or of a virtual YouTuber, to leave a management agency; usually accompanied with "graduation ceremony" send-offs, increased focus on the leaving member, and the like.


bend

bend (third-person singular simple present bends, present participle bending, simple past and past participle bent or (archaic) bended)

bends (present singular third-person)
bending (participle present)
bent (participle past)
bent (past)
bended (archaic participle past)
bended (archaic past)

From Middle English benden, from Old English bendan (“to bind or bend (a bow), fetter, restrain”), from Proto-West Germanic *bandijan, from Proto-Germanic *bandijaną (“to bend”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰendʰ- (“to bind, tie”). Cognate with Middle High German benden (“to fetter”), Danish bænde (“to bend”), Norwegian bende (“to bend”), Faroese benda (“to bend, inflect”), Icelandic benda (“to bend”). Related to band, bond.

der

You should bend the G slightly sharp in the next measure.

(transitive, music) To smoothly change the pitch of a note.


bend

(music) A glissando, or glide between one pitch and another.


neck

From Middle English nekke, nakke, from Old English hnecca, *hnæcca (“neck, nape”), from Proto-Germanic *hnakkô (“nape, neck”), from Proto-Indo-European *knog-, *kneg- (“back of the head, nape, neck”). Cognate with Scots nek (“neck”), North Frisian neek, neeke, Nak (“neck”), Saterland Frisian Näkke (“neck”), West Frisian nekke (“neck”), Dutch nek (“neck”), German Low German Nack (“neck”), German Nacken (“nape of the neck”), Danish nakke (“neck”), Swedish nacke (“nape of the neck”), Icelandic hnakki (“neck”), Tocharian A kñuk (“neck, nape”). Possibly a mutated variant of *kneug/k (compare Old English hnocc (“hook, penis”), Welsh cnwch (“joint, knob”), Latvian knaūķis (“dwarf”). Doublet of nek. More at nook. Displaced halse (“neck, throat”) and swire (“neck”).

(music) The extension of any stringed instrument on which a fingerboard is mounted


bind

From Middle English binden, from Old English bindan, from Proto-West Germanic *bindan, from Proto-Germanic *bindaną (compare West Frisian bine, Dutch binden, Low German binnen, German binden, Danish binde), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰéndʰ-e-ti, from *bʰendʰ- (“to tie”).
Compare Welsh benn (“cart”), Latin offendīx (“knot, band”), Lithuanian beñdras (“partner”), Albanian bind (“to convince, to awe, to spell”), Ancient Greek πεῖσμα (peîsma, “cable, rope”), Persian بستن (bastan, “to bind”), Sanskrit बन्धति (bándhati). Doublet of bandana.

cog

(music) A ligature or tie for grouping notes.


sound

en-noun

sound (countable and uncountable, plural sounds)

→ German: Sound

→ Japanese: サウンド (saundo)

→ Swedish: sound

* Noun: from Middle English sownde, alteration of soun, borrowed from Anglo-Norman sun, soun, Old French son, from accusative of Latin sonus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *swenh₂- (“to sound, resound”).
* Verb: from Middle English sownden, sounen, borrowed from Anglo-Norman suner, sounder, Old French soner (modern sonner), from Latin sonō.
* The hypercorrect -d appears in the fifteenth century. (Compare dialectal drownd, gownd for the same development.)
Displaced native Middle English swei, from Old English swēġ, from Proto-Germanic *swōgiz.

der

He looks like he's got it, maybe. Listen to those kids!/There's no maybe about it. That's it, that's the sound.

1954, Valentine Davies et al., The Glenn Miller Story

(music) A distinctive style and sonority of a particular musician, orchestra etc.


ducat

From Middle French ducat, late Old French ducat, from Old Italian ducato, from Medieval Latin ducatus, from oblique stem of dux (“duke; leader”). Doublet of duchy.

Ned Beaumont said, "Well, I've got a ducat that reads to there, anyway.

1972 [1931], Dashiell Hammett, “IV. The Dog House”, in The Glass Key, Vintage Books, page 73

Customers are usually enticed in with a "ducat", or pass for one free dance.

1946, George Johnston, Skyscrapers in the Mist, page 88

[…] the lines at the box office since ducats went on sale publicly Wednesday […]

(US, theater, transport, slang) A ticket.


dig

From Middle English diggen (“to dig”), alteration of Old English dīcian (“to dig a ditch, to mound up earth”) (compare Old English dīcere (“digger”)) from dīc, dīċ (“dike, ditch”) from Proto-Germanic *dīkaz, *dīkiją (“pool, puddle”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeygʷ- (“to stab, dig”). Additionally, Middle English diggen may derive from an unrecorded suffixed variant, *dīcgian. Akin to Danish dige (“to dig, raise a dike”), Swedish dika (“to dig ditches”). Related to Middle French diguer (“to dig”), from Old French dikier, itself a borrowing of the same Germanic root (from Middle Dutch dijc). More at ditch, dike.

a £1 charity shop dig

(music, slang) A rare or interesting vinyl record bought second-hand.


overdraw

en-verb

overdraw (third-person singular simple present overdraws, present participle overdrawing, simple past overdrew, past participle overdrawn)

overdraws (present singular third-person)
overdrawing (participle present)
overdrew (past)
overdrawn (participle past)

(music) To draw the air in through a harmonica while adjusting the mouth so that the note goes up a half tone.


axe

From Middle English ax, axe, ex, from Old English æx, from Proto-West Germanic *akusi, from Proto-Germanic *akwisī, probably from a Proto-Indo-European *h₂egʷsih₂ (“axe”), from *h₂eḱ- (“sharp, pointed”). Compare German Axt, Dutch aks, Danish økse, Icelandic öxi, and also Latin ascia.

(slang, music) A gigging musician's particular instrument, especially a guitar in rock music or a saxophone in jazz.


lead

en-noun

lead (countable and uncountable, plural leads)

From Middle English leden, from Old English lǣdan (“to lead”), from Proto-West Germanic *laidijan, from Proto-Germanic *laidijaną (“to cause one to go, lead”), causative of Proto-Germanic *līþaną (“to go”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyt- (“to leave, die”).
Cognate with West Frisian liede (“to lead”), Dutch leiden (“to lead”), German leiten (“to lead”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål lede (“to lead”), Norwegian Nynorsk leia (“to lead”), Swedish leda (“to lead”). Related to Old English līþan (“to go, travel”).

der

"You make moving pictures. In jungles and places." "That's me. And I've picked you for the lead in my next picture."

1932, Delos W. Lovelace, King Kong, published 1965, page 43

(acting, theater) The main role in a play or film; the lead role.

(acting) The actor who plays the main role; lead actor.

(music) In a barbershop quartet, the person who sings the melody, usually the second tenor

(music) The announcement by one voice part of a theme to be repeated by the other parts.

(music) A mark or a short passage in one voice part, as of a canon, serving as a cue for the entrance of others.


recast

en-verb

recast (third-person singular simple present recasts, present participle recasting, simple past and past participle recast)

recasts (present singular third-person)
recasting (participle present)
recast (participle past)
recast (past)

According to As the World Turns producer, Michael Laibson, the decision was made to recast the role, because the producers and writers felt it would annoy the audience to have Betsy discontinued so soon after her long-delayed marriage […]

2002, Robert C. Allen, To Be Continued...: Soap Operas Around the World, Routledge, page 153

(transitive, film, theater) To assign (roles in a play or performance) to different actors.

She was recast as the villain.

(transitive, film, theater) To assign (actors) to different roles.


spelling

en-noun

spelling (countable and uncountable, plural spellings)

orthography

precisely hypernymous but loosely synonymous

The spelling of a pitch is strongly influenced by its harmonic and melodic context.

2004, Joshua Stoddard, Christopher Raphael, Paul E. Utgoff, Well-Tempered Spelling: A Key-Invariant Pitch Spelling Algorithm, page 1

(music) A choice of notation among enharmonic equivalents for the same pitch.


catch

catch (countable and uncountable, plural catches)

From Middle English cacchen, from Anglo-Norman cachier, variant of Old French chacier, from Late Latin captiāre, from Latin captāre, frequentative of capere. Akin to Modern French chasser (from Old French chacier) and Spanish cazar, and thus a doublet of chase. Compare ketch. Displaced Middle English fangen ("to catch"; > Modern English fang (verb)), from Old English fōn (“to seize, take”); Middle English lacchen ("to catch" and heavily displaced Modern English latch), from Old English læċċan.
The verb became irregular, possibly under the influence of the semantically similar latch (from Old English læċċan), whose past tense was lahte, lauhte, laught (Old English læhte), until becoming regularised in Modern English.

gloss

One night, I remember, we sang a catch, written (words and music) by Orlo Williams, for three voices.

1966, Allen Tate, T. S. Eliot: The Man and His Work, page 76

(countable, music) A type of humorous round in which the voices gradually catch up with one another; usually sung by men and often having bawdy lyrics.

The phrase repeated itself like the catch of a song.

2003, Robert Hugh Benson, Come Rack! Come Rope!, page 268

(countable, music) The refrain; a line or lines of a song which are repeated from verse to verse.


addition

en-noun

addition (countable and uncountable, plural additions)

Sense of “what is added” dates from 14th century, from Middle English addicioun, addition, from Old French adition, from Latin additiōnem, accusative singular of additiō, from addō (“add, put”).

(music) A dot at the right side of a note as an indication that its sound is to be lengthened one half.


conductor

head

conductor (plural conductors, feminine conductress or conductrix)

conductors (plural)
conductress (feminine)
conductrix (feminine)

Borrowed from Middle French conductour, from Old French conduitor, from Latin conductor.

(music) A person who conducts an orchestra, choir or other music ensemble; a professional whose occupation is conducting.


grind

en-noun

grind (countable and uncountable, plural grinds)

From Middle English grynden, from Old English grindan, from Proto-West Germanic *grindan, from Proto-Germanic *grindaną.
Cognate with Saterland Frisian gríende, griene (“to grind, mill”), Dutch grinden (“to grind”, rare) and grind (“gravel, shingle”), Albanian grind (“to brawl, fight”).

(uncountable, music) Clipping of grindcore (“subgenre of heavy metal”).


foot

foot (plural feet or (UK colloquial, unit of measure) foot)

→ Assamese: ফুট (phut)

q

from <i class="Latn mention" lang="en">feet</i>

→ Japanese: フット (futto), フート (fūto); フィート (fīto) (from feet)

→ Russian: фут (fut)

Sranan Tongo: futu

Aukan: futu

Saramaccan: fútu

→ Swahili: futi

→ Thai: ฟุต (fút)

Tok Pisin: fut, put

→ Urdu: فٹ (fuṭ)

→ Phalura: fuṭ

From Middle English fot, fote, foot, from Old English fōt, from Proto-West Germanic *fōt, from Proto-Germanic *fōts, from Proto-Indo-European *pṓds. Doublet of pes, pie (“Spanish unit of length”), and pous.

doublet

not touch something with a ten-foot pole

you cannot put the same shoe on every foot

(music) A unit of measure for organ pipes equal to the wavelength of two octaves above middle C, approximately 328 mm.


stride

en-noun

stride (countable and uncountable, plural strides)

From Middle English stride, stryde, from Old English stride (“a stride, pace”), from the verb (see above). Doublet of strid.

(uncountable, music) A jazz piano style of the 1920s and 1930s. The left hand characteristically plays a four-beat pulse with a single bass note, octave, seventh or tenth interval on the first and third beats, and a chord on the second and fourth beats.


underlay

/ˈʌndəɹˌleɪ/

From Middle English underlay, underlei, equivalent to under- + lay.

The underlay in bar 3 is unclear in Handel's manuscript.

(music) Lyrics; or more specifically, the way in which lyrics are assigned to musical notes.


bright

en-adj

bright (comparative brighter, superlative brightest)

brighter (comparative)
brightest (superlative)

The adjective is from Middle English bright, from Old English beorht, from Proto-West Germanic *berht, from Proto-Germanic *berhtaz (“bright”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerHǵ- (“to shine, to gleam, whiten”).
The noun is derived from Middle English bright (“brightness, brilliance; daylight; light”), from bright (adjective): see above.
The English word is cognate with Albanian bardhë (“white”), Dutch brecht (in personal names), Icelandic bjartur (“bright”), Lithuanian brekšta (“to dawn”), Middle Irish brafad (“blink of an eye”), Norwegian bjart (“bright, clear, shining”), Persian برازیدن (barâzidan, “to beautify; to befit”), Northern Luri بڵێز (bełız, “blaze”) Russian бре́зжить (brézžitʹ, “to dawn; to flicker faintly, glimmer; (figuratively) of a hope, thought, etc.: to begin to manifest, emerge”), Sanskrit भ्राजते (bhrājate), Scots bricht (“bright”), Welsh berth (“beautiful, fair, fine”) (obsolete).

cog

the candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long

(music) Of a rhythm or tempo: lively, upbeat.

(figuratively)
(music) Of a note: slightly sharp.


business

en-noun

business (countable and uncountable, plural businesses)

Tok Pisin: bisnis

→ Albanian: biznes

→ Belarusian: бі́знэс (bíznes)

→ Bulgarian: би́знес (bíznes)

→ Czech: business, byznys

→ Dutch: business

→ Indonesian: bisnis, bisnes

→ Faroese: besnissaður

→ Finnish: bisnes, business

→ French: business

→ Haitian Creole: biznis

→ Italian: business

→ Japanese: ビジネス (bijinesu)

→ Jersey Dutch: bääznäs

→ Marshallese: peejnej

→ Moroccan Arabic: بزناس (biznās)

desc

→ Newar: बनय्ज्या (banêjyā), बनेज्या (banejyā)

→ Pennsylvania German: Bisniss

→ Polish: biznes

→ Romanian: bișniță

desctree

→ Russian: би́знес (bíznes), би́знесъ (bíznɛs) — Pre-reform orthography (1918)
→ Armenian: բիզնես (biznes)
→ Yakut: биисинэс (biisines)

→ Slovak: biznis

→ Spanish: bisnes

→ Tatar: business

→ Ukrainian: бі́знес (bíznes)

→ Welsh: busnes

From Middle English busines, busynes, businesse, bisynes, from Old English bisiġnes (“business, busyness”), equivalent to busy + -ness. Doublet of busyness.

inh

business in the front, party in the back

The business with the hat is a fine example of the difficulty of distinguishing between 'natural' and 'formal' acting.

1983, Peter Thomson, Shakespeare's Theatre, page 155

(acting) Action carried out with a prop or piece of clothing, usually away from the focus of the scene.

business

action carried out with a prop or piece of clothing


tongue

en-noun

tongue (countable and uncountable, plural tongues)

Australian Kriol: tang

Bislama: tang

Sranan Tongo: tongo

Tok Pisin: tang

Torres Strait Creole: tang

From Middle English tonge, tunge, tung, from Old English tunge, from Proto-West Germanic *tungā, from Proto-Germanic *tungǭ (“tongue”) (compare West Frisian tonge, Dutch tong, Luxembourgish Zong, German Zunge, Yiddish צונג (tsung), Danish tunge, Norwegian Bokmål tunge, Swedish tunga, Gothic 𐍄𐌿𐌲𐌲𐍉 (tuggō)), from Proto-Indo-European *dn̥ǵʰwéh₂s. Cognate with Old Irish tengae, Latin lingua, Tocharian A käntu, Tocharian B kantwo, Lithuanian liežùvis, Russian язык (jazyk), Polish język, Old Armenian լեզու (lezu), Avestan 𐬵𐬌𐬰𐬎𐬎𐬁 (hizuuā), Zazaki Zon, Ashkun žū, Kamkata-viri dić, Sanskrit जिह्वा (jihvā́). Doublet of language and lingua.

puhe

uncountable: discourse, fluency of speech


tongue

en-verb

tongue (third-person singular simple present tongues, present participle tonguing, simple past and past participle tongued)

tongues (present singular third-person)
tonguing (participle present)
tongued (participle past)
tongued (past)

have something on the tip of one's tongue

Playing wind instruments involves tonguing on the reed or mouthpiece.

(music, transitive, intransitive) On a wind instrument, to articulate a note by starting the air with a tap of the tongue, as though by speaking a 'd' or 't' sound (alveolar plosive).


brush

en-noun

brush (countable and uncountable, plural brushes)

From Middle English brusshe, from Old French broisse (Modern French brosse), from Vulgar Latin *brustia, from Frankish *bursti, from Proto-Germanic *burstiz (“bristle”), or also Vulgar Latin *bruscia, from Proto-Germanic *bruskaz (“tuft, thicket, underbrush”), which could be from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrusgo-.

der

(music) An instrument, resembling a brush, used to produce a soft sound from drums or cymbals.


curtain

Inherited from Middle English curtine, from Old French cortine, from Late Latin cōrtīna (“curtain”), a calque from Ancient Greek.

He took so long to shave his head that we arrived 45 minutes after curtain and were denied late entry.

(theater, by extension) The beginning of a show; the moment the curtain rises.


button

→ German: Button

→ Hindi: बटन (baṭan)

→ Gujarati: બટન (baṭan)

→ Korean: 버튼 (beoteun)

→ Maori: pātene

→ Marathi: बटण (baṭaṇ)

→ Urdu: بٹن (baṭan)

From Middle English boton, botoun, from Old French boton (Modern French bouton), from Old French bouter, boter (“to push; thrust”), ultimately from a Germanic language. Doublet of Biden and beat. More at butt.

Scenes usually go out on a laugh line, a stinger or a button. End your script with a twist!

2002 November 8, Jean Ann Wright, “Animation Comedy and Gag Writing”, in Animation World Network

With our show, one thing we wanted to do was give our best effort to always put a button on the scene.

2014 June 18, Daniel Schindel, “3 Comedy Sketches that Changed Key and Peele's Lives”, in Los Angeles Magazine

Is there a best way to end a comedy sketch? Endings — or outs, or buttons as writers call them — are notoriously difficult to nail. The ideal ending needs to be satisfying and surprising while staying true to the comedic game that preceded it.

2016 July 12, Jessica Goldstein, “How to best end a comedy sketch? It’s hard to go wrong with gruesome death”, in The Washington Post

(comedy) The final joke at the end of a comedic act (such as a sketch, set, or scene).


shake

From Middle English schaken, from Old English sċeacan, sċacan (“to shake”), from Proto-West Germanic *skakan, from Proto-Germanic *skakaną (“to shake, swing, escape”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)keg-, *(s)kek- (“to jump, move”).
Cognate with Scots schake, schack (“to shake”), West Frisian schaekje (“to shake”), Dutch schaken (“to elope, make clean, shake”), Low German schaken (“to move, shift, push, shake”) and schacken (“to shake, shock”), Old Norse skaka (“to shaka”), Norwegian Nynorsk skaka (“to shake”), Swedish skaka (“to shake”), Danish skage (“to shake”), Dutch schokken (“to shake, shock”), Russian скака́ть (skakátʹ, “to jump”). More at shock.

cog

(music) A rapid alternation of a principal tone with another represented on the next degree of the staff above or below it; a trill.

(music) In singing, notes (usually high ones) sung vibrato.


twang

Onomatopoeic. Compare Middle English twengen (“to pinch, tweak”), from Old English twenġen (“to pinch, twinge”); Middle English twingen (“to afflict, torment, oppress”), from Old Norse þvinga (“to weigh down, oppress”); Old English twingan (“to force, press”).

(music) A particular sharp vibrating sound characteristic of electric guitars.


twang

en-verb

twang (third-person singular simple present twangs, present participle twanging, simple past and past participle twanged)

twangs (present singular third-person)
twanging (participle present)
twanged (participle past)
twanged (past)

(music) To play a stringed musical instrument by plucking and snapping.

näppäillä

music: to play a stringed musical instrument by plucking and snapping


shed

shed (third-person singular simple present sheds, present participle shedding, simple past and past participle shed or (nonstandard) shedded)

sheds (present singular third-person)
shedding (participle present)
shed (participle past)
shed (past)
shedded (nonstandard participle past)
shedded (nonstandard past)

From Middle English scheden, schede, from Old English scēadan, scādan (“to separate, divide, part, make a line of separation between; remove from association or companionship; distinguish, discriminate, decide, determine, appoint; shatter, shed; expound; decree; write down; differ”), from Proto-West Germanic *skaiþan, from Proto-Germanic *skaiþaną (compare West Frisian skiede, Dutch and German scheiden), from Proto-Indo-European *skeyt- (“to cut, part, divide, separate”), from *skey-.
See also Welsh chwydu (“to break open”), Lithuanian skėsti (“to spread”), skíesti (“to separate”), Old Church Slavonic цѣдити (cěditi, “to filter, strain”), Ancient Greek σχίζω (skhízō, “to split”), Old Armenian ցտեմ (cʻtem, “to scratch”), Sanskrit च्यति (cyáti, “he cuts off”)). Related to shoad, shit, sheath.

cog

(music, slang) Alternative form of woodshed


shed

en-verb

shed (third-person singular simple present sheds, present participle shedding, simple past and past participle shedded)

sheds (present singular third-person)
shedding (participle present)
shedded (participle past)
shedded (past)

Dialectal variant of a specialized use of shade.


me

From mi (“third note of a major scale”) + -e (“flat”), from Glover's solmization, Italian mi in the solmization of Guido of Arezzo, from the first syllable of Latin mīra in the lyrics of the scale-ascending hymn Ut queant laxis by Paulus Deacon.

af

(music) The solfeggio syllable used to indicate the flat of the third note of a major scale.


bell

→ Fiji Hindi: belo

→ Japanese: ベル (beru)

→ Korean: 벨 (bel)

From Middle English belle, from Old English belle (“bell”), from Proto-Germanic *bellǭ. Cognate with West Frisian belle, bel, Dutch bel, Low German Belle, Bel, Danish bjelde, Swedish bjällra, Norwegian bjelle, Icelandic bjalla.

(music) The flared end of a brass or woodwind instrument.

камбановидно разширение

the flared end of a brass or woodwind instrument


swell

en-noun

swell (countable and uncountable, plural swells)

From Middle English swelle, from the verb swellen (modern swell).

(music) A gradual crescendo followed by diminuendo.

起伏

music: gradual crescendo followed by diminuendo

(music) A device for controlling the volume of a pipe organ.

kivimbe

music: device for controlling the volume of a pipe organ

(music) A division in a pipe organ, usually the largest enclosed division.


break

en-verb

break (third-person singular simple present breaks, present participle breaking, simple past broke or (archaic) brake, past participle broken or (nonstandard) broke)

breaks (present singular third-person)
breaking (participle present)
broke (past)
brake (archaic past)
broken (participle past)
broke (nonstandard participle past)
break (infinitive)

From Middle English breken, from Old English brecan (“to break”), from Proto-West Germanic *brekan, from Proto-Germanic *brekaną (“to break”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg- (“to break”). The word is a doublet of bray.
Cognates
Cognates of Germanic origin include Scots brek (“to break”), West Frisian brekke (“to break”), Dutch breken (“to break”), Low German breken (“to break”), German brechen (“to break”), French broyer (“to crush, grind”), Gothic 𐌱𐍂𐌹𐌺𐌰𐌽 (brikan, “to break, destroy”), Norwegian brek (“desire, yearning”).
Also cognate with Albanian brishtë (“fragile”), Latin frangō (“break, break up, shatter”, verb), whence English fracture and other terms – fragile, frail, fraction, and fragment.

breek

intransitive: to separate into (to end up in) two or more pieces

thyen

transitive: to separate into (to cause to end up in) two or more pieces

sındırmaq

to cause a person to lose spirit or will

խախտել

transitive: to do that which is forbidden by (something)

փչանալ

intransitive: to stop functioning properly or altogether

ջարդել

transitive: to cause to stop functioning

burst

ergative: separate into two or more pieces

contravene

transitive: do that which is forbidden by

break one's arm patting oneself on the back

you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs

In July Alexander broke the run and went on tour, as was his custom. He believed in keeping in touch with provincial audiences and how wise he was!

1958, Walter Macqueen-Pope, St. James's: Theatre of Distinction, page 134

After Camberwell he broke the play's season and brought it back in the autumn with a few revisions and a noticeably strengthened cast but without any special success.

1986, Kurt Gänzl, The British Musical Theatre: 1865-1914, page 610

(transitive) To interrupt; to destroy the continuity of; to dissolve or terminate.

(transitive, theater) To end the run of (a play).