Trichord
/ˈtraɪ.kɔːrd/noun
A group of three notes, especially a three-note chord or a three-stringed instrument.
Did you know?The word comes from Greek roots for “three” and “string,” and that same chord-root family gave English words like *cord*, *accord*, and *chord*—all tied to things being “strung” or “set together.”
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
grc
τρίχορδος (tríkhordos)
“three-stringed”
Late Latin
LL
trichordus
“three-stringed”
Medieval Latin
ML
trichordium
“a three-stringed instrument or three-part musical grouping”
16th–18th Century
English
trichord
“a three-stringed instrument or a group of three notes”
Modern English
English
trichord
“a set of three notes, especially a three-note chord”