étude

[ ey-tood, ey-tyood, ey-tood, ey-tyood; French ey-tyd ]

/ ˈeɪ tud, ˈeɪ tyud, eɪˈtud, eɪˈtyud; French eɪˈtüd /

noun, plural é·tudes [ey-toodz, ey-tyoodz, ey-toodz, ey-tyoodz; French ey-tyd] /ˈeɪ tudz, ˈeɪ tyudz, eɪˈtudz, eɪˈtyudz; French eɪˈtüd/.

a musical composition, usually instrumental, intended mainly for the practice of some point of technique.

study(def 12).

Nearby words

étape, étienne, étoile, étouffée, étrier, étude, étui, évasé, évian-les-bains, évora, évreux

Origin of étude

From French, dating back to 1830–40; see origin at study

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for etude

Etude sur les diverses grandeurs, Paris, Gauthier-Villars, 1897.
The Foundations of Science: Science and Hypothesis, The Value of Science, Science and Method|Henri Poincar
Etude sur l'Espece a l'occasion d'une revision de la Famille des Cupuliferes.
More Letters of Charles Darwin|Charles Darwin
Etude de polarité religieuse, in the Revue Philosophique, Dec., 1909.
The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life|Emile Durkheim
Etude sur les lettres, les arts et lindustrie pendant le quinzime sicle, vol.
The Story of Bruges|Ernest Gilliat-Smith

His "Gradus ad Parnassum" became the parent of Etude literature.
For Every Music Lover|Aubertine Woodward Moore

British Dictionary definitions for etude

étude

/ (ˈeɪtjuːd, French etyd) /

noun

a short musical composition for a solo instrument, esp one designed as an exercise or exploiting technical virtuosity

Word Origin for étude

C19: from French: study

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