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tritone

American  
[trahy-tohn] / ˈtraɪˌtoʊn /

noun

Music.
  1. an interval consisting of three whole tones; an augmented fourth.


tritone British  
/ ˈtraɪˌtəʊn /

noun

  1. a musical interval consisting of three whole tones; augmented fourth

"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

Etymology

Origin of tritone

1600–10; < Medieval Latin tritonus < Greek trítonos having three tones. See tri-, tone

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The tritone in ‘Maria’ is part of an expression, not a famous motif.”

From New York Times • Dec. 29, 2021

The first auction will feature iconic works such as Warhol's silkscreen portraits of Marilyn Monroe, an enormous tritone painting by Mark Rothko, and a seascape by Gerhard Richter.

From Reuters • Sep. 9, 2021

The song also relies on an interval called the tritone.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 3, 2020

Pictures that seem undistinguished in the tritone reproductions of the catalog are compelling in the originals.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2018

Both are six half-steps, or three whole tones, so another term for this interval is a tritone.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

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