Alamire

/ˌæləˈmɪər/ noun

Definition

In medieval music notation, the highest note of a musical scale, above the top A in the hexachord system.

Etymology

From Arabic al- (the) + Latin mi (the musical note mi) + re (the musical note re). Combined as 'al-a-mi-re,' it designated the topmost note in Guido's hexachord system.

Kelly Says

Alamire is one of the few Arabic-Latin musical hybrids—it shows how 10th-century Islamic music theory was so advanced that European monks borrowed its vocabulary to describe their own notation!

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.