What does chorded mean?
Chorded is chiefly the past tense and past participle of the verb chord, meaning to provide a melody with chords or to sound several notes together in harmony. An arranger might say she chorded a tune, meaning she worked out and wrote the underlying harmonic accompaniment. The word also functions as an adjective describing things built around chords: a chorded passage is one richly supplied with harmonic texture, while a chorded keyboard is an input device on which simultaneous combinations of keys stand for letters, syllables, or entire words — the principle behind stenotype machines used by court reporters. Because it derives from chord, which traces back through English and French ultimately to Latin cor (heart) via accord and concord, chorded carries faint connotations of agreement and consonance. It remains a specialist term, most at home in music writing and discussions of typing technology rather than casual conversation.
Past tense and past participle of chord: to provide a melody with chords, or to play or sound notes together in harmony.
"She chorded the verse differently each night, improvising new harmonies."
Most common in music-arrangement contexts.
Arranged or equipped with chords; especially describing keyboards where simultaneous key presses produce characters or commands.
"Stenographers rely on a chorded keyboard to transcribe speech at over 200 words per minute."
Frequently used attributively, as in 'chorded keyboard'.
A chorded keyboard lets you type whole words from single key presses — stenographers using chord machines can outpace most typists.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of chorded
Chorded derives from chord, which entered English in the early modern period via French accord, ultimately rooted in Latin cor, meaning heart, through the notion of hearts being 'in accord' — hence concord and consonance. The verb to chord, meaning to furnish a melody with chords, arose naturally once the musical sense of chord was established, and its participial form chorded came to describe both harmonized music and devices operated by pressing keys in combination. Its cognates include accord, concord, and concordant, all sharing that same Latin root.
Related word forms
How chorded is actually used
Most often encountered in technical or specialist contexts — music theory, arranging, and human-computer interaction. In everyday speech people more commonly say 'harmonized' or 'played chords'. The participial adjective sense ('a chorded passage') is largely confined to written discussions of music.
Easily confused with chorded
'Corded' means bound or furnished with a cord (e.g. a corded telephone), while 'chorded' relates to musical chords or the verb 'to chord'.