Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A piece composed for the development of a specific point of technique.
  • noun A composition featuring a point of technique but performed because of its artistic merit.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun music A short piece of music, designed to give a soloist performer practice in a particular area or skill.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French étude, from Old French estudie, study; see study.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From the around the year 1837, from French étude (meaning "study") from the Latin word studium (meaning "spirit", "devotion" or "study").

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Examples

  • And you obviously have never tackled a Chopin etude as undergrad.

    The Volokh Conspiracy » Do Law Schools Seek “Exciting” and “Diverse” Students? 2010

  • Well, if you burn through that Chopin etude, you might just, um, burn through that Chopin etude: Hazard: The recalled keyboards can overheat when in use, posing a fire hazard to consumers.

    Hot Hot Hot Matthew Guerrieri 2008

  • Well, if you burn through that Chopin etude, you might just, um, burn through that Chopin etude: Hazard: The recalled keyboards can overheat when in use, posing a fire hazard to consumers.

    Archive 2008-09-01 Matthew Guerrieri 2008

  • I haven't felt this "Revolutionary" since I learned the Chopin etude.

    GOP senator warns of 'minor revolution' over health care 2009

  • After going out into the yard several times to see if Prince was barking at any reality, I brought him into the pantry and in order to compose his nerves I left the "Revolutionary" etude, which is so tempestuous, and played the next which is almost a lullaby, so soft and soothing is it, and to my relief it had its effect, and Prince went to sleep.

    A Woman Rice Planter 1914

  • What eventually came of the effort however was a half-hour long masterful set of variations, of which some were labelled "etude" and others merely "variation."

    Conservapedia - Recent changes [en] 2009

  • What eventually came of the effort however was a half-hour long masterful set of variations, of which some were labelled "etude" and others merely "variation."

    Conservapedia - Recent changes [en] 2009

  • What eventually came of the effort however was a half-hour long masterful set of variations, of which some were labelled "etude" and others merely "variation."

    Conservapedia - Recent changes [en] 2009

  • What eventually came of the effort however was a half-hour long masterful set of variations, of which some were labelled "etude" and others merely "variation."

    Conservapedia - Recent changes [en] 2009

  • What eventually came of the effort however was a half-hour long masterful set of variations, of which some were labelled "etude" and others merely "variation."

    Conservapedia - Recent changes [en] 2009

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