Se
/seɪ/noun
A chromatic solfège syllable representing the lowered seventh degree of a major scale.
Did you know?“Se” is not an ancient mystical word: it is a modern chromatic-solfege alteration of “si,” created by changing the vowel to distinguish a lowered pitch.
Etymological Timeline
11th Century
Medieval Latin
si
“The solmization syllable for the seventh note, formed from the initials of Sancte Iohannes in a hymn.”
16th Century
Italian
si
“The conventional name for the seventh note in the developing solfège system.”
19th Century
English
sol-fa
“A system of teaching musical pitch through syllables such as do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, and si.”
20th Century
English
se
“A chromatic solfège syllable for the lowered seventh degree of a major scale.”
Modern English
English
se
“The established chromatic-solfege name for ♭7 in movable-do systems.”