chordal

[ kawr-dl ]

adjective
  1. of, relating to, or resembling a chord.

  2. of or relating to music that is marked principally by vertical harmonic movement rather than by linear polyphony.

Origin of chordal

1
First recorded in 1610–20; chord2 + -al1

Other words from chordal

  • pre·chord·al, adjective

Words Nearby chordal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use chordal in a sentence

  • In Elasmobranchii the chordal sheath is weak and the skeletogenous layer strong.

    The Vertebrate Skeleton | Sidney H. Reynolds
  • In Amphioxus the notochord is immediately surrounded by a structureless cuticular layer, the chordal sheath.

    The Vertebrate Skeleton | Sidney H. Reynolds
  • The notochord remains permanently unconstricted and is enclosed in a chordal sheath, external to which is the skeletogenous layer.

    The Vertebrate Skeleton | Sidney H. Reynolds
  • Now, in music there are two kinds of harmony, simultaneous and consecutive—chordal harmony and melody.

    Evolution | Joseph Le Conte
  • Of the divine spheral music, the one is the chordal harmony, the other the consecutive harmony or melody.

    Evolution | Joseph Le Conte