monochord

American  

[mon-uh-kawrd] / ˈmɒn əˌkɔrd /

noun

1. an acoustical instrument dating from antiquity, consisting of an oblong wooden sounding box, usually with a single string, used for the mathematical determination of musical intervals.

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monochord British  

/ ˈmɒnəʊˌkɔːd /

noun

1. Also called: sonometer.  an instrument employed in acoustic analysis or investigation, consisting usually of one string stretched over a resonator of wood

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Etymology

Origin of monochord

1375–1425; late Middle English monocorde < Medieval Latin monochordum < Greek monóchordon, noun use of neuter of monóchordos with one string. See mono-, chord ¹

Example Sentences

She plucked twangy notes with a crow's quill on a monochord.

From Time Magazine Archive

The harmony of the monochord was the harmony of mathematics—and the harmony of the universe.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Putting the bridge on the monochord so it touches the string changes the notes that are played.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

One day, according to legend, Pythagoras was toying with a monochord, a box with a string on it.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

By moving a sliding bridge up and down the monochord, Pythagoras changed the notes that the device played.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife