eighth note

American  

noun

Music.

1. a note having one eighth of the time value of a whole note; quaver.

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eighth note British  

noun

1. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): quaver.  music a note having the time value of an eighth of a semibreve

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Etymology

Origin of eighth note

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90

Example Sentences

In 6/8, there are six beats in a measure with each eighth note receiving one beat.

From Literature

The pattern continues with eighth notes, sixteenth notes, thirty-second notes, sixty-fourth notes, and so on, each type of note being half the length of the previous type.

From Literature

When orchestra rehearsals started Feb. 14, Nézet-Séguin shortened a 16th note here, lengthened an eighth note there as he sang the vocals — including the Celestial Voice ending the auto-da-fé.

From Seattle Times

The score is in cut time, so he started by following that, speeding up the eighth notes and taking a wider view of the movement.

From New York Times

Music is now the white eighth notes on a red background, Mail is the white envelope on a blue background, the Safari compass has been placed on a white background, etc.

From The Verge