chord

Etymology

Variant of cord, with spelling alteration due to Latin chorda (“cord”), ultimately from Ancient Greek (Doric) χορδά (khordá), (Ionic) χορδή (khordḗ, “string of gut, the string of a lyre”)

noun

1. (music) A harmonic set of three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously.
   He struck the opening chords of the passage; but this time Irene's voice was silent. Victor stopped in the middle of an arpeggio. 1956, Delano Ames, chapter 14, in Crime out of Mind
2. (geometry) A line segment between two points of a curve.
   The simplest method of calculating the radius of a curve in situ is to measure the versine; in railway practice this is done by extending a tape 66 ft. (1 ch.) long in a straight line or chord between two points on the periphery of a curve, and then measuring the maximum distance of the rail from the chord at the centre of the 66 ft. The radius in chains is found by dividing the versine in inches into 99. Thus if a versine measures 3 in., the radius will be 33 ch. 1941 September, “The Why and the Wherefore: Curves”, in Railway Magazine, page 430
3. (engineering) A horizontal member of a truss.
   1. (rail transport) A section of subsidiary railway track that interconnects two primary tracks that cross at different levels, to permit traffic to flow between them.
4. (aeronautics) The distance between the leading and trailing edge of a wing, measured in the direction of the normal airflow.
5. (nautical) An imaginary line from the luff of a sail to its leech.
6. (computing) A keyboard shortcut that involves two or more distinct keypresses, such as Ctrl+M followed by P.
   Ctrl-K is the default first key for chords, but you can create chords using any keys that you want. 2005, James Avery, Visual Studio hacks, page 99
7. The string of a musical instrument.
8. (anatomy) A cord.
9. (graph theory) An edge that is not part of a cycle but connects two vertices of the cycle.

verb

1. (transitive) To write chords for.
   This chording technique works well for learning any tune, but this is the only tune of the set that I will write out completely as a chorded version. 2003, Dan Levenson, Clawhammer Banjo from Scratch
2. (music) To accord; to harmonize together.
   This note chords with that one.
3. (transitive) To provide with musical chords or strings; to string; to tune.
   When Jubal struck the chorded shell. 1687, John Dryden, A Song for Cecilia's Day
   Even the solitary old pine tree chords his harp. 1862, Henry Ward Beecher, Eyes and Ears