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Definition of semitone

semitone

/ˈsɛm.i.toʊn/
sem · i · tone
Plural:semitones
•
Adjective:semitonic
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semitone Lexical Profile

semitone Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

The smallest musical interval commonly used in Western tonal music, equal to half of a whole tone or one twelfth of an octave, such as the interval between two adjacent keys on a piano.

Example

"The choir director asked the sopranos to raise their pitch by a single semitone to match the organ."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for semitone
Antonyms
View all antonyms for semitone

• Nearby Words

semisoft
semisolid
semisweet
semitone
semitrailer
semitransparent
semitropical

Word Origin & Etymology

Borrowed in the late Middle English period from Old French semiton or directly from Late Latin semitonium, combining semi- ('half') and tonus ('tone', from Ancient Greek tonos, meaning 'stretching' or 'pitch').

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Semitone. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/semitone
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