chord

Notes played together

A chord is three or more musical notes sounded together, forming the harmonic foundation of most Western music.

Guitar players strum chords; pianists voice them.

In geometry, a chord is a straight line connecting two points on a curve.

The phrase strike a chord means to resonate emotionally or trigger recognition: Her speech struck a chord with the audience.

The spelling chord also appears in spinal cord and vocal cords, though these derive from a different word meaning string or rope.

musical

triad

Group of three

arpeggioSuccessive chord tones
progressionSequential forward movement
voicingExpressing aloud

inversion · seventh · ninth · suspended · diminished · augmented · dominant · tonic · subdominant · mediant

strings

guitar

Fretted stringed instrument

pianoKeyed percussion instrument
harpPlucked orchestral strings
ukuleleSmall Hawaiian stringed instrument

banjo · lyre · zither · dulcimer · autoharp · mandolin · sitar · fret · pluck · strum

aeronautics

airfoil

Lift-generating curved surface

wingspanTip-to-tip extent
camberDesigned surface curvature
wingletUpturned aircraft tip extension

dihedral · leading edge · trailing edge · lift · cross-section · fuselage · thickness · curvature · aerodynamics

emotional

heartstrings

Deep emotional attachments

resonanceAmplified oscillation at natural frequency
nostalgiaLonging for the past
poignancyPiercing emotional quality

connection · sentiment · longing · touching · stirring · evocative · bittersweet · wistfulness · sympathy · feeling

geometry

arc

Curved line segment

secantTrig ratio, 1/cos
tangentLine touching curve once
diameterDistance across through center

radius · segment · subtend · circle · midpoint · perpendicular · bisector · endpoint · length · curve

Categories

geometryangles, circles, angle, shapes, lines
musicmusic, song, songs, singing, singer
linesstraight line, line, dotted line, dashed line, solid line
threestrio, triad, triple, triplet, trinity
composition termsmelody, harmony, rhythm, tempo, key
hobby termsstitch, cast on, bind off, gauge, bobbin

Opposites

musical simultaneity

chordnote

Short written record

monophony · unison · tone · melody · melodic line

harmonic quality

Lack of agreement

dissonance · cacophony · conflict · disharmony · clash

geometric line type

chordarc

Curved line segment

curve · circumference · tangent · radius

Phrases

strike a chordTrigger emotional recognition
touch a chordEvoke emotional response
power chordRoot-fifth guitar voicing
minor chordTriad with lowered third
major chordsThree-note happy harmonies
broken chordChord tones played successively

Family

chords, harpsichord, chorded, chording, chordate, chord progression, chord progressions

Familiarity: Top 20,000
Profile: Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Everyday, not technical · Rated G