tetrachord

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noun

Any set of four different pitch classes.

OriginEnglish chord ← Ancient Greek τετρᾰ- (tetră-) ← Proto-Hellenic *kʷétwores →
Scrabble 16
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Meanings

nountetrachord (plural tetrachords)

plural tetrachords

  1. entertainmentAny set of four different pitch classes.
  2. entertainmentA series of four sounds, forming a scale of two-and-a-half tones.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*kʷetwóres
  2. Proto-Hellenic*kʷétwores
  3. Ancient Greekτέσσᾰρες (téssăres)
  4. Ancient Greekτετρᾰ- (tetră-)
  5. Englishtetra-
  6. Englishchord
  7. Englishtetrachord

From tetra- + chord.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

tetrachord. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tetrachord

MLA

“tetrachord.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tetrachord. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tetrachord,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tetrachord.

Source: tetrachord on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.