First Known Use: 1694
Dictionary
diatonic
adjective dia·ton·ic \ˌdī-ə-ˈtä-nik\
music : of or relating to a musical scale that has five whole steps and two semitones
Full Definition of DIATONIC
: of, relating to, or being a musical scale (as a major or minor scale) comprising intervals of five whole steps and two half steps
— dia·ton·i·cal·ly \-ˈtä-ni-k(ə-)lē\ adverb
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Origin of DIATONIC
Late Latin diatonicus, from Greek diatonikos, from diatonos stretching, from diateinein to stretch out, from dia- + teinein to stretch — more at thin
Rhymes with DIATONIC
catatonic, cosmogonic, diachronic, disharmonic, electronic, embryonic, epigonic, hegemonic, histrionic, homophonic, Housatonic, hypersonic, infrasonic, inharmonic, isotonic, macaronic, megaphonic, microphonic, monophonic, monotonic, nonionic, nucleonic, pentatonic, pharaonic, philharmonic, plate-tectonic, polyphonic, quadraphonic, semitonic, skeletonic, Solomonic, supersonic, supertonic, telephonic, thermionic, ultrasonic
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