chord

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Music A combination of three or more pitches sounded simultaneously.
2. n. Harmony, as of color.
3. v. To be in accord; agree.
4. v. Music To play chords on an instrument.
5. v. Music To play chords on.
6. v. To harmonize.
7. n. A line segment that joins two points on a curve.
8. n. A straight line connecting the leading and trailing edges of an airfoil.
9. n. Anatomy Variant of cord.
10. n. An emotional feeling or response: Her words struck a sympathetic chord in her audience.
11. n. Archaic The string of a musical instrument.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A string; a cord. Specifically —
2. n. The string of a musical instrument.
3. n. A musical tone.—
4. n. In music, the simultaneous sounding of three or more tones; specifically, the sounding of three or more tones that are concordant with one another. A common chord or triad consists of any tone with its third and fifth. A major chord is one having a major third and a perfect fifth; a minor chord, one having a minor third and a perfect fifth; a diminished chord, one having a minor third and a diminished fifth; and an augmented chord, one having a major third and an augmented fifth. Diminished and augmented chords are also called anomalous. A chord of the seventh, or seventh-chord, consists of any tone with its third, fifth, and seventh; a chord of the ninth contains also the ninth. (See ninth.) The tones of a chord are arranged for analysis at intervals of a third from one another; and when so arranged, the lowest tone is called the root of the chord. When all the tones of the chord are not present, it is imperfect or incomplete; when the tones are so arranged that the root is not the lowest, the chord is inverted. Inverted chords are known by the numerals indicating the intervals between the lowest tone and the others: as, chords of the sixth, of the fourth and sixth, of the fifth and sixth, of the second, etc. The tonic or fundamental chord is the triad whose root is the tonic or key-note; the dominant or leading chord, that whose root is the dominant (fifth tone of the scale); the subdominant chord, that whose root is the subdominant (fourth tone of the scale), etc. Chords are related or relative to each other when they contain common tones. A transient chord is one used to connect two keys or tonalities, and containing tones foreign to both. An equivocal chord is one which may be resolved into different keys without changing any of its tones.
5. n. Hence Harmony, as of color.
6. n. In geometry, a straight line intersecting a curve; that part of a straight line which is comprised between two of its intersections with a curve; specifically, the straight line joining the extremities of an arc of a circle.
7. n. A main horizontal member of a bridge-truss. When at the upper side, it is a top chord, and is in compression; when at the lower edge, it is a lower chord, and is in tension.
8. n. In anatomy, a cord; a chorda; especially, the notochord, or chorda dorsalis. See chorda.
9. To furnish with chords or strings, as a musical instrument.
10. In music, to sound harmoniously or concordantly.

Wiktionary

1. n. music In music, a combination of any three or more notes sounded simultaneously.
2. n. geometry A straight line between two points of a curve.
3. n. engineering A horizontal member of a truss.
4. n. aeronautics The distance between the leading and trailing edge of a wing, measured in the direction of the normal airflow.
5. n. computing A keyboard shortcut that involves two or more distinct keypresses, such as Ctrl+M followed by P.
6. v. transitive To write chords for.
7. v. music To accord; to harmonize together.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. The string of a musical instrument.
2. n. (Mus.) A combination of tones simultaneously performed, producing more or less perfect harmony, .
3. n. (Geom.) A right line uniting the extremities of the arc of a circle or curve.
4. n. (Anat.) A cord. See Cord, n., 4.
5. n. (Engin.) The upper or lower part of a truss, usually horizontal, resisting compression or tension.
6. v. To provide with musical chords or strings; to string; to tune.
7. v. (Mus.) To accord; to harmonize together.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. play chords on (a string instrument)
2. n. a combination of three or more notes that blend harmoniously when sounded together
3. v. bring into consonance, harmony, or accord while making music or singing
4. n. a straight line connecting two points on a curve