Learned borrowing fromMedieval Latintritonus, itself borrowed fromAncient Greekτρίτονος(trítonos). Bysurface analysis,tri- +tone.
tritone (pluraltritones)
- (music) An interval of three wholetones.
- Synonyms:devil's interval,devil in music,diabolus in musica,diabolus
- Near-synonyms:augmented fourth,diminished fifth
- Thetritone has a pitch ratio close to 17:12.
2007 February 17, Ben Ratliff, “For Some Unmellowed Metalheads, Middle Age Is Nothing to Fear”, inNew York Times[1]:The mini-epic “Seasons in the Abyss,” with its ringingtritone interval at the beginning, its extended solos, its medium tempo, was as close as Slayer got to a groove.
an interval of three whole tones
Fromtri- +tone.
tritone (pluraltritones)
- Apictureprinted in threeshades.
- Coordinate terms:duotone,quadtone
1995, Adele Droblas Greenberg, Seth Greenberg, “Converting from One Mode to Another”, inFundamental Photoshop, 2nd edition, Osborne McGraw-Hill,→ISBN,page380:In Photoshop’s Duotone mode you can create monotones, duotones,tritones, and quadtones—grayscale images to which you add one, two, three, or four colors.
2003, Duncan Evans, “Duotones and Tritones”, inA Comprehensive Guide to Digital Portrait Photography, AVA Publishing SA,→ISBN,page115:When usingtritones or quadtones (in which three colours are blended together) all the secondary colours are mixed together.
2010, David Präkel, “Duotone”, inThe Visual Dictionary of Photography, AVA Publishing SA,→ISBN,page97:The two colours need not be black and grey; computer duotones can be created from a greyscale original in any two colours;tritones use three inks and quadtones four.
tritone (notcomparable)
- Having threetones.
- Synonym:tritoned
1950 October 15, “Local Matrons Smartly Model Clothes Here At Event By Junior League”, inThe Greenville News, volume LXXVI, number288, Greenville, S.C.,page two:The first cotume[sic] in which Mrs. Earle appeared was atritone dress of crepe, with a brown velour cloche and brown calf sling pumps.
1963 May, “Thirty summer fashions”, inMcCall’s,page186:Fortrel-and-rayon-linentritone dress, with drawstring waist.
1979, “Killy Triple Gold Jackets”, inChristmas Wish Book,page360:Tritone jacket has contrast nylon inserts. 80(Blue/Red/Wht.), 38(Beige/Navy/Red).
2013, Alexandra Horowitz, “Minding Our Qs”, inOn Looking: Eleven Walks with Expert Eyes,Scribner,→ISBN,pages69–70:It is hard to believe that today’s signs may be tomorrow’s beloved ghosts, but sure as my 1970’s polyestertritone shirt and my plebeian 1964 Volvo are now “classics,” it will likely be so.
- IPA(key): /triˈto.ne/
- Rhymes:-one
- Hyphenation:tri‧tó‧ne
tritone m (pluraltritoni)
- newt
- triton
