n. [ L chorda a gut, a string made of a gut, Gr. chordh`. In the sense of a string or small rope, in general, it is written cord. See Cord. ] 1. The string of a musical instrument. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Mus.) A combination of tones simultaneously performed, producing more or less perfect harmony, as, the common chord. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Geom.) A right line uniting the extremities of the arc of a circle or curve. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Anat.) A cord. See Cord, n., 4. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Engin.) The upper or lower part of a truss, usually horizontal, resisting compression or tension. Waddell. [ 1913 Webster ]

Accidental, Common, and Vocal
chords. See under Accidental, Common, and Vocal. --
Chord of an arch. See Illust. of Arch. --
Chord of curvature, a chord drawn from any point of a curve, in the circle of curvature for that point. --
Scale of chords. See Scale. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Chorded; p. pr. & vb. n. Chording. ] To provide with musical chords or strings; to string; to tune. [ 1913 Webster ]

When Jubal struck the chorded shell. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

Even the solitary old pine tree chords his harp. Beecher. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. (Mus.) To accord; to harmonize together; as, this note chords with that. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL., fr. L. chorda. See Chord. ] (Anat.) A cord. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖Chorda dorsalis [ NL., lit., cord of the back. ] (Anat.) See Notochord. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to a chord. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., fr. L. chorda cord. ] (Zool.) A comprehensive division of animals including all Vertebrata together with the Tunicata, or all those having a dorsal nervous cord. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. cordé, cordée, p. p. of corder to cord. ] (Med.) A painful erection of the penis, usually with downward curvature, occurring in gonorrhea. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Embryology) the area of the mesoderm that forms the notochord. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Music) a stringed instrument of the group including harps, lutes, lyres, and zithers. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a genus containing two species of small New Zealand trees: weeping tree broom; endangered.
Syn. -- genus Chordospartium. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ F. clatocorde, fr.L. clarus clear + chorda string. See Chord. ] A musical instrument, formerly in use, in form of a spinet; -- called also manichord and clavichord. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. clavicorde, fr. L. clavis key + chorda string. ] (Mus.) A keyed stringed instrument, now superseded by the pianoforte. See Clarichord. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ Gr. deka`chordos tenstringed; de`ka ten + chordh` a string. ] 1. An ancient Greek musical instrument of ten strings, resembling the harp. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Something consisting of ten parts. W. Watson. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. epi- + chordal. ] (Anat.) Upon or above the notochord; -- applied esp. to a vertebral column which develops upon the dorsal side of the notochord, as distinguished from a perichordal column, which develops around it. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. harpechorde, in which the harpe is of German origin. See Harp, and Chord. ] (Mus.) A harp-shaped instrument of music set horizontally on legs, like the grand piano, with strings of wire, played by the fingers, by means of keys provided with quills, instead of hammers, for striking the strings. It is now superseded by the piano. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. someone who plays the harpsichord. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ Gr. "epta`chordos seven-stringed; "epta` seven + chordh` chord: cf. F. heptacorde. See Seven, and Chord. ] 1. (Anc. Mus.) (a) A system of seven sounds. (b) A lyre with seven chords. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Anc. Poet.) A composition sung to the sound of seven chords or tones. Moore (Encyc. of Music). [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Hexa- + Gr. &unr_; string, chord: cf. F. hexacorde. ] (Mus.) A series of six notes, with a semitone between the third and fourth, the other intervals being whole tones. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } [ L. monochordon, Gr. &unr_;; -- so called because it orig. had only one string. See Monochord. ] (Mus.) The clavichord or clarichord; -- called also dumb spinet. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. monochordon, Gr. &unr_;, fr. &unr_; with but one string; &unr_; only, single + &unr_; string: cf. F. monocorde. See Chord, and cf. Mainchord. ] (Mus.) An instrument for experimenting upon the mathematical relations of musical sounds. It consists of a single string stretched between two bridges, one or both of which are movable, and which stand upon a graduated rule for the purpose of readily changing and measuring the length of the part of the string between them. [ 1913 Webster ]

n., /mhw>, a. (Zool.) See Neurocord. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. nw^ton the back + E. chord. ] (Anat.) An elastic cartilagelike rod which is developed beneath the medullary groove in the vertebrate embryo, and constitutes the primitive axial skeleton around which the centra of the vertebrae and the posterior part of the base of the skull are developed; the chorda dorsalis. See Illust. of Ectoderm. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the notochord; having a notochord. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_; with eight strings; 'okta- (for 'oktw` eight) + &unr_; string, chord: cf. F. octacorde. ] (Mus.) An instrument of eight strings; a system of eight tones. [ Also written octochord. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Mus.) See Octachord. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. para- + chordal. ] (Anat.) Situated on either side of the notochord; -- applied especially to the cartilaginous rudiments of the skull on each side of the anterior part of the notochord. -- n. A parachordal cartilage. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. pentachordus five-stringed, Gr. penta`chordos; penta- five + chordh` string. ] 1. An ancient instrument of music with five strings. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An order or system of five sounds. Busby. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Around the notochord; as, a perichordal column. See Epichordal. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Gr. &unr_;; poly`s many + &unr_; string, cord. ] Having many strings. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Mus.) (a) A musical instrument of ten strings. (b) An apparatus for coupling two octave notes, capable of being attached to a keyed instrument. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. pro + chordal. ] (Anat.) Situated in front of the notochord; -- applied especially to parts of the cartilaginous rudiments in the base of the skull. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. "rei^n to flow + &unr_;&unr_;&unr_; chord.] (Elec.) A metallic wire used for regulating the resistance of a circuit, or varying the strength of an electric current, by inserting a greater or less length of it in the circuit. [1913 Webster]

a. (Anat.) Situated on the ventral side of the notochord; as, the subnotochordal rod. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. tetrachordon, Gr. &unr_;, from &unr_; four-stringed; te`tra- (see Tetra-) + &unr_; a chord: cf. F. tétrachorde. ] (Anc. Mus.) A scale series of four sounds, of which the extremes, or first and last, constituted a fourth. These extremes were immutable; the two middle sounds were changeable. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. &unr_; three stringed; &unr_; (see Tri-) + &unr_; chord, or string. ] (Mus.) An instrument, as a lyre or harp, having three strings. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ 2d uro- + chord. ] (Zool.) The central axis or cord in the tail of larval ascidians and of certain adult tunicates. [ Written also urocord. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zool.) Of or pertaining to the Urochorda. [ 1913 Webster ]

prop. n. pl. [ NL. See Urochord. ] (Zool.) Same as Tunicata. [ 1913 Webster ]