What does chord mean?
A chord is fundamentally a group of musical notes sounded together to create harmony — the building block of Western music, from simple major and minor triads to complex jazz voicings. Beyond music, the word has spread into everyday figurative use: when an idea, story, or speech 'strikes a chord', it evokes a genuine emotional response in those who hear it, suggesting deep resonance rather than passing interest. In mathematics, a chord is the straight line connecting two points on a curve such as a circle, and in aeronautics it denotes the width of a wing measured from leading edge to trailing edge. The noun derives ultimately from Latin 'cor' (heart) via 'chorda', sharing ancestry with words like accord, concord, and cordial — all rooted in the idea of hearts or strings being brought together. Its plural is simply chords.
In music, a combination of three or more notes sounded together to create harmony; also, by extension, any harmonious pairing of notes.
"The song's opening chord instantly sets a melancholy mood."
Figuratively, an emotion or feeling that is stirred or resonated with, typically in the phrases 'strike a chord' or 'touch a chord'.
"Her memoir about grief touched a chord with readers around the world."
In geometry, a straight line segment whose endpoints lie on a curve, most commonly a circle.
"The diameter of a circle is simply its longest chord."
In aeronautical engineering, the width of an airfoil or wing measured from its leading edge to its trailing edge.
"Engineers adjusted the wing chord to improve lift at low speeds."
Standard regular plural, used across all senses of the noun.
"He practised switching between basic guitar chords until his fingers ached."
For over two centuries, English writers spelled both the musical 'chord' and the string-like 'cord' as 'cord' — until a deliberate 17th-century respelling borrowed the Greek letter chi to set them apart.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of chord
The word 'chord' entered English in the early modern period as an alteration of 'cord', influenced by the Latin 'chorda' and ultimately the Greek 'khorde' meaning gut-string or string of an instrument. The spelling shift was partly a learned affectation linking the term to Greek musical theory. It shares deeper roots with Latin 'cor' (heart), which gives us cognates like accord, concord, cordial, and record — all expressing agreement, harmony, or the heart's response.
How chord is actually used
As a noun, 'chord' spans technical musical vocabulary and figurative emotional use. The phrase 'strike a chord' is extremely common and usually positive. The mathematical and aeronautical senses are specialist registers. In British English the spelling 'chord' is firmly distinguished from 'cord'; older texts sometimes use them interchangeably.
Easily confused with chord
A cord is a thin string, rope, or cable (or an anatomical structure like the spinal cord), while a chord is either a combination of musical notes or a straight line cutting through a circle.