Semitone

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Semitone \Sem"i*tone\, n. [Pref. semi- + tone. CF. {Hemitone}.]
     (Mus.)
     Half a tone; -- the name commonly applied to the smaller
     intervals of the diatonic scale.
     [1913 Webster]
  


     Note: There is an impropriety in the use of this word, and
           half step is now preferred. See {Tone}. --J. S. Dwight.
           [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  semitone
       n : the musical interval between adjacent keys on a keyboard
           instrument [syn: {half step}]