Etymologically
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keynote

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 15:28. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • US: /ˈkiːˌnoʊt/[1]

Etymology

It is a compound from English key + note,[2][3][4][5][6] from key in the musical sense "scale".[3] The verb, from 1877, is a conversion of the noun.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

In music, the first note of a scale, which forms the basis of the key and gives it its name; the tonic: 1677, in Lord Guildford's essay on music.[2] Etymonline dates it from 1776.[3]

Semantic evolution

The figurative sense, the main idea or prevailing tone of a speech, piece of writing or course of action, followed in 1763,[2][4] or 1783 according to Etymonline.[3] In 1762 the word was also used for the pitch of the voice, a sense that did not last.[2] The keynote speech, the address that sets out the main theme of a meeting, is American, from 1887 in Etymonline,[3] and the noun alone has meant such a speech since 1896.[2] The verb, first "to set the prevailing tone of" (1877), came to mean "to give the keynote speech at" a meeting in 1908.[2][5]

Timeline

  • 1677 – the first note of a musical scale; the tonic.[2][5]
  • 1762 – the pitch of the voice (obsolete).[2]
  • 1763 – the main idea or prevailing tone of something.[2]
  • 1877 – verb, to set the prevailing tone of.[2][5]
  • 1887 – keynote speech, in American English.[3]
  • 1896 – a keynote speech.[2]
  • 1908 – verb, to give the keynote speech at a meeting.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The central idea or prevailing tone of something: Simplicity is the keynote of the new design.[5][7][2]
  2. A keynote speech: the main address at a conference or political meeting, which sets out its main theme.[2][5]
  3. (music) The first note of a scale, on which the key is based; the tonic.[5][7][2]

Verb

  1. To give the keynote speech at a meeting: She keynoted the trade show.[5][7][2]
  2. To set the keynote or prevailing tone of something.[5][7][2]

Word family

  • keynoter
  • keynote speech

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt