chord

chord — noun

1. a group of musical notes that are sounded at the same moment, creating a single

1.nounB1
Definition

a group of musical notes that are sounded at the same moment, creating a single sound with a particular emotional quality — for example, a C major chord sounds bright, while a D minor chord sounds sad.

Example

The guitarist played a loud chord, and the crowd cheered.

Aiko learned to play three basic chords on her new ukulele.

collocation: play + chord

Common collocations
  • play a chord
  • strike a chord
  • major chord
  • minor chord
  • guitar chord
  • piano chord
  • final chord
  • opening chord
Synonyms
  • triad

    a three-note chord, the most basic type

  • harmony

    a broader concept that includes how chords progress and relate to each other

Antonyms
  • single note

    one isolated pitch rather than a combination

Grammar Patterns

chord + of [notes]

play + chord

[adjective] + chord

Usage Note

A chord is different from an arpeggio: in a chord, all notes sound at once; in an arpeggio, they are played one after another.

Common Mistakes

I played a chord of three notes on the piano.
I played a three-note chord on the piano.
The word 'chord' already means a combination of notes, so 'chord of three notes' is redundant phrasing.

2. a straight segment that connects any two points on the edge of a closed curve, s

2.nounB2
Definition

a straight segment that connects any two points on the edge of a closed curve, such as a circle — for example, a line from one side of a circle to the other without passing through the centre.

Example

The teacher drew a chord connecting two points on the circle.

collocation: draw + chord

A diameter is a chord that passes through the centre of a circle.

diameter as a special type of chord

Common collocations
  • chord of a circle
  • draw a chord
  • the length of a chord
  • the endpoints of a chord
  • a chord connecting two points
Synonyms
  • line segment

    a more general term for any straight part of a line between two points

  • diameter

    a chord that goes through the centre — the longest possible chord in a circle

Grammar Patterns

chord + of [a circle]

the + chord + between [two points]

Usage Note

In school geometry problems, 'chord' almost always refers to a line inside a circle. On other curves, the term may be called a 'chord of the curve.'

Common Mistakes

Draw a chord from the centre to the edge of the circle.
Draw a radius from the centre to the edge of the circle.
A chord connects two points on the edge; a radius connects the centre to the edge.
Idioms

strike / touch a chord (with someone)

idiom

to produce a feeling of recognition, sympathy, or shared emotion in someone because something you say or do relates to their own experience.

The speaker's story about growing up poor struck a chord with many people in the room.

Her comments about work-life balance touched a chord with young parents everywhere.

strike/touch a chord (with somebody)

idiom

To cause a feeling of understanding or connection in someone.

Her story about growing up in a small town struck a chord with me.

Did the teacher's speech touch a chord with the students?

chord — verb

Word family

  • chordal
    adjectiveC1
  • chording
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A chord is any set of three or more notes played at the same moment. Harmony is a broader concept that describes how chords relate to each other over time in a piece of music — you study the harmony of a song, not its 'chord' in the singular. A triad is a specific type of chord consisting of exactly three notes (root, third, and fifth), making it the most basic chord structure in Western music. An arpeggio uses the same notes as a chord but plays them one after another instead of together, often as a pattern. For example, a C major triad (C-E-G) sounds like a single block of sound when played as a chord, but when played as an arpeggio it sounds like a rising or falling pattern of separate notes.

chord ↗harmony ↗triadarpeggio

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • strike a chord
  • touch a chord

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'chord' entered English through Middle French 'corde', from Latin 'chorda' meaning 'string of a musical instrument', which came from Greek 'khordē' (a gut string). The spelling split from 'cord' in the 16th-17th centuries: 'chord' kept the music and geometry meanings (both relate to straight lines — strings on an instrument, or the string-like line across a circle), while 'cord' kept the general meaning of a thin rope or wire.