diatonique

Forms

diatonique (plural diatoniques)^[1] Middle French dyatonique.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin diatonicus, from Ancient Greek διατονικός (diatonikós), from διάτονος (diátonos, “belonging to the diatonic scale”), formed from διά (diá, “through”) and τόνος (tónos, “tone”).^[2][4][5][6] The FEW lists it under Latin tonus.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Nicole Oresme's translation of Aristotle's Politics (about 1372–1374) uses dyatonique of Greek music, for one of the three tetrachords described by Boethius, beside cromatique and enarmonique.^[3][2]

Semantic evolution

Evrart de Conty, about 1400, speaks of chanter diatonique, singing by the diatonic scale.^[3] In the 16th century Pontus de Tyard wrote of intervalles diatoniques.^[8] The adverb diatoniquement is recorded in 1587.^[2][6]

Littré still describes the ancient diatonic genus, which divided the fourth into a semitone and two tones, beside the modern sense, the natural scale of tones and semitones.^[9] English diatonic (about 1600) was taken from the French word.^[10]

Timeline

• 1372–1374 – Oresme uses dyatonique of Greek music.^[3][2]
• c. 1400 – Evrart de Conty has chanter diatonique.^[3]
• 1587 – The adverb diatoniquement appears, in Pontus de Tyard.^[2]
• c. 1600 – English diatonic is borrowed from French.^[10]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (music) Proceeding by the tones and semitones of the natural scale, by conjunct degrees, as opposed to chromatique: gamme diatonique.^{[6][2][11][12]}
2. (of an instrument) Built on the diatonic system.^[2]

Noun

1. A diatonic accordéon, each key of which gives one note when the bellows are pushed and another when they are drawn.^[13]

Word family

• diatoniquement

Related words

• ton²
• tonique
• Latin diatonicus
• English diatonic

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e Dictionnaire du Moyen Français, version 2015 (DMF 2015), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/dmf
4. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 13/2, 35a
8. ^ Godefroy, Frédéric (1881–1902), Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IXe au XVe siècle, 10 vols., Paris: Vieweg / Bouillon
9. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
10. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
11. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
12. ^ Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
13. ^ Wiktionnaire (French Wiktionary), fr.wiktionary.org