octachord

[ok-tuh-kawrd]

noun

1. any musical instrument with eight strings.

2. a diatonic series of eight tones.

octachord

/ ˈɒktəˌkɔːd /

noun

1. an eight-stringed musical instrument

2. a series of eight notes, esp a scale

Other Word Forms

• octachordal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of octachord¹

First recorded in 1750–60, octachord is from the Greek word oktáchordos having eight strings. See octa-, chord ¹

Example Sentences

Octachord, ok′ta-kord, n. a musical instrument with eight strings: a diatonic series of eight tones.

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Running longitudinally, there are four channels in it if it is a tetrachord; six, if it is a hexachord; eight, if it is an octachord.

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