seventh chord

American  

noun

Music.

1. a chord formed by the superposition of three thirds.

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seventh chord British  

noun

1. music a chord consisting of a triad with a seventh added above the root See dominant seventh chord diminished seventh chord major seventh chord minor seventh chord

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Etymology

Origin of seventh chord

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Willcocks, following a rising figure full of anticipation, places an explosive, half-diminished seventh chord under the text “Word,” resolving it elaborately over the next few measures.

From New York Times • Dec. 21, 2022

He can tell you what “Travis picking” is and why a flat seventh chord is haunting.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 11, 2021

Wood taught him functional music theory, like how singer-songwriters depended so much on the major seventh chord, or what made the songs of, say, Dan Fogelberg or Elton John tick.

From Washington Post • Sep. 23, 2020

The novel's ending is both bravura and brave: it closes like a diminished seventh chord, an awful pause that could resolve itself into different cadences.

From The Guardian • Jun. 1, 2012

"When the gentlemen can think of nothing new, and can go no further, they quickly call in a diminished seventh chord to help them out of the predicament."

From Beethoven, the Man and the Artist, as Revealed in His Own Words by Krehbiel, Henry Edward