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treble

Etymology and origin of the English word treble

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈtɹɛbəl/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English treble, borrowed from Old French treble,[2][3][4][5][6] from Latin triplus (“threefold”),[3][4][5][6] the AHD citing it through Medieval Latin triplum.[2] It is a doublet of triple.[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

As an adjective, threefold, triple (late 13th century);[4][3] as a noun, anything threefold (1324–25).[7]

Semantic evolution

In early harmonized music the main melody was in the tenor, and the voices added above it were the alto and the treble, the third part;[3][4][6] so treble came to mean the highest part (before 1338 as a noun; c. 1440 as an adjective).[3][7] From this came the senses “high-pitched, shrill” (1562)[7] and, in sound recording, the higher range of audio frequencies.[5] The verb “to make three times as great” dates from before 1325.[7][3]

Timeline

  • late 13th century – adjective, threefold.[4][3]
  • before 1325 – verb, to multiply by three.[7][3]
  • before 1338 – noun, the highest part in music.[3]
  • c. 1440 – adjective, of the highest part.[7]
  • 1562 – high-pitched, shrill.[7]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Threefold; triple.
  2. Of or having the highest part, voice or range in music.
  3. High-pitched; shrill.

Noun

  1. The highest part, voice, instrument or range; a soprano, or a singer or player who performs this part.
  2. A high or shrill voice or sound.
  3. The higher range of sound frequencies in recording and broadcasting.
  4. Something threefold; three times as much.

Verb

  1. To make or become three times as great; to triple.

Word family

  • trebleness
  • trebly
  • treble clef
  • triple
  • bass
  • tenor
  • double

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Treble.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/treble. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·