whole step


nounMusic.
  1. an interval of two semitones, as A-B or B-C♯; a major second.

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Origin of whole step

1
First recorded in 1895–1900
  • Also called wholetone .

Words Nearby whole step

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

How to use whole step in a sentence

  • The interval between the two tones may therefore be either a half-step or a whole-step.

  • The expressions half-step and whole-step are much to be preferred to half-tone and whole-tone, as being more clear and definite.

  • If strictly logical terminology is to be insisted upon the whole-tone scale should be called the "whole-step" scale.