Clef
/klɛf/noun
A symbol placed at the beginning of a staff to indicate the pitch of the notes.
Did you know?Clef comes from French for “key,” because it literally “opens” the staff by showing where the notes belong.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
clavis
“key; bolt”
Old French
Old French
clef
“key”
Middle English
English
clef
“key; later, the key-sign at the start of musical notation”
Modern English
English
clef
“a musical symbol that fixes the pitch of a staff”
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