Diascord

/ˈdaɪəskɔrd/ noun

Definition

A medieval musical interval or dissonant chord that produces an unpleasant, clashing sound.

Etymology

From Greek 'dia-' (through, across) + Latin 'corda' (strings), literally describing strings vibrating against each other. Medieval theorists used this to distinguish harsh intervals from harmonious ones.

Kelly Says

Medieval musicians actually categorized 'bad' sounds with a special word—diascord—because they took harmony so seriously that discord deserved its own technical name!

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