See Also: semitone(dictionary)
semitone(dictionary)

semitone (iou)



semitone noun. L15.
[Old French semiton or medieval Latin semitonus, formed as SEMI- + TONE noun. Cf. late Latin semitonium, Greek hemitonion HEMITONE.]
Music. An interval approximately equal to half a tone, the smallest interval used in classical European music; a minor second. L15.
chromatic semitone: see CHROMATIC adjective 1.
Art. An intermediate tone or tint in a picture; = halftone (c) s.v. HALF-. L18.
A soft or gentle tone of voice; an undertone. E19.
semitonal adjective = SEMITONIC M19.
semitonally adverb L19.