metronome

[me-truh-nohm]

See more synonyms for metronome on Thesaurus.com

noun

a mechanical or electrical instrument that makes repeated clicking sounds at an adjustable pace, used for marking rhythm, especially in practicing music.

Origin of metronome

1810–20; metro-¹ + -nome < Greek nómos rule, law

Related formsmet·ro·nom·ic

[me-truh-nom-ik] /ˌmɛ trəˈnɒm ɪk/, met·ro·nom·i·cal, adjectivemet·ro·nom·i·cal·ly, adverb

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

Related Words for metronome

alarm, timer, timepiece, clock, hourglass, metronome, dial, watch, chronometer, calendar, chronograph, repeater, pendulum, horologe, chronoscope, gnomon, sundial, stopwatch, clepsydra, tattler

Examples from the Web for metronome

Historical Examples of metronome

The metronome indication, found at the beginning of most modern scores.
Essentials in Conducting
Karl Wilson Gehrkens
And now the Wyvern swung it back and forth in a metronome sweep.
Storm Over Warlock
Andre Norton
The metronome is not expensive to put up; it costs 16 at the most.
The Orchestral Conductor
Hector Berlioz
The sense of time deserted him when the metronome of heartbeat died.
Instinct
George Oliver Smith
The simplest form is the tick-tick-tick of a watch or metronome.
The Principles of English Versification
Paull Franklin Baum

British Dictionary definitions for metronome

metronome

noun

a mechanical device which indicates the exact tempo of a piece of music by producing a clicking sound from a pendulum with an adjustable period of swing

Derived Formsmetronomic (ˌmɛtrəˈnɒmɪk), adjective

Word Origin for metronome

C19: from Greek metron measure + nomos rule, law

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

Word Origin and History for metronome

mechanical musical time-keeper, 1815, coined in English from comb. form of Greek metron "measure" (see meter (n.2)) + -nomos "regulating," verbal adjective of nemein "to regulate" (see numismatics). The device invented 1815 by Johann Maelzel (1772-1838), German civil engineer and showman. Related: Metronomic.