tritone
Americannoun
noun
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.
Write the notes out as a single chord, and you draw a tower of fifths wavering over a tritone in the bass.
From New York Times ● May 16, 2022
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
During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, religious music rarely used the tritone because it created a sense of unease and irresolution rather than majesty or awe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2020
He asked if I’d heard of the Devil’s interval, the tritone: a combination of notes that create a brooding, menacing dissonance.
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 2, 2019
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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