meantone system

[meen-tohn]

noun Music.

a system for tuning keyboard instruments, used before the development of tuning by equal temperament and considered practical only for tonalities of not more than two sharps or flats.

Origin of meantone system

First recorded in 1790–1800; mean³ + tone

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018