octachord

[ok-tuh-kawrd]

noun

any musical instrument with eight strings.
a diatonic series of eight tones.

Origin of octachord

First recorded in 1750–60, octachord is from the Greek word oktáchordos having eight strings. See octa-, chord¹

Related formsoc·ta·chor·dal, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for octachord

Historical Examples of octachord

Octachord, ok′ta-kord, n. a musical instrument with eight strings: a diatonic series of eight tones.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R)
Various

British Dictionary definitions for octachord

octachord

noun

an eight-stringed musical instrument
a series of eight notes, esp a scale

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