submediant

[ suhb-mee-dee-uhnt ]

nounMusic.

the sixth tone of a diatonic scale, being midway between the subdominant and the upper tonic.

Origin of submediant

First recorded in 1800–10; sub- + mediant

Also called superdominant.

Words Nearby submediant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use submediant in a sentence

In the opening Allegro the second subject occurs, by way of exception, in the major key of the submediant.
The Pianoforte Sonata | J.S. Shedlock
The second (in B flat) is in the submediant, the last in the tonic major.
Symphonies and Their Meaning; Third Series, Modern Symphonies | Philip H. Goepp
The second subject is propounded by the oboes (in the rather unusual related key of the submediant).
Contemporary American Composers | Rupert Hughes
To be sure, Beethoven did invent the change to a lowered submediant in a succeeding movement.
Symphonies and Their Meaning; Third Series, Modern Symphonies | Philip H. Goepp

British Dictionary definitions for submediant

submediant

/ (sʌbˈmiːdɪənt) music /

noun

the sixth degree of a major or minor scale
a key or chord based on this

adjective

of or relating to the submediant

Also (US and Canadian): superdominant

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

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