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eighth note

American

noun

Music.

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

eighth note British

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of eighth note

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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 • Feb. 28, 2022

“That time feel, in between a triplet and an eighth note, you can’t really notate it and you can’t really teach it,” he says.

From Washington Post • Jan. 6, 2017

Only seven letter names are used to name notes: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. The eighth note would, of course, be the next A, beginning the next octave.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

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

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

A piece in six eight might have six beats in every measure, with an eighth note getting a beat.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023