n. [ L., fr. Gr. diapasw^n (i. e., "h dia` pasw^n chordw^n symfoni`a the concord of the first and last notes, the octave); dia` through + pasw^n, gen. pl. of pa^s all: cf. F. diapason. Cf. Panacea.] 1. (Gr. Mus.) The octave, or interval which includes all the tones of the diatonic scale. Compare disdiapason. [1913 Webster] 2. Concord, as of notes an octave apart; harmony. [1913 Webster] The fair music that all creatures made . . . In perfect diapason. Milton. [1913 Webster] 3. The entire compass of tones; the entire compass of tones of a voice or an instrument. [1913 Webster] Through all the compass of the notes it ran, The diapason closing full in man. Dryden. [1913 Webster] 4. A standard of pitch; a tuning fork; as, the French normal diapason. [1913 Webster] 5. One of certain stops in the organ, so called because they extend through the scale of the instrument. They are of several kinds, as open diapason, stopped diapason, double diapason, and the like. [1913 Webster] |