Definition of Middle C

1. Noun. The note designated by the first ledger line below the treble staff; 261.63 hertz.

Generic synonyms: Musical Note, Note, Tone

Definition of Middle C

1. Noun. (music) A specific musical note, particularly the note C4, at approximately 261.6 hertz, appearing at the middle of the alto staff and directly between the treble and bass staves. ¹

2. Noun. (music) The key on a piano or other keyboard instrument corresponding to this note. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Lexicographical Neighbors of Middle C

middle-aged man
middle-click
middle-clicked
middle-clicking
middle-clicks
middle-ear deafness
middle-end
middle-finger
middle-level
middle-of-the-road
middle-of-the-roader
middle-of-the-roadness
middle-sized
middle Atlantic
middle C
middle C's
middle Cs
middle age
middle atlantoepistrophic joint
middle axillary line
middle bodies
middle body
middle buster
middle cardiac vein
middle carpal joint
middle cells
middle cerebellar peduncle
middle cerebral artery
middle cerebral vein

Literary usage of Middle C

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The Monthly Review by Ralph Griffiths (1814)
"When two or more parts are wanted, two lines are used; and die bass-notes below middle C are printed in Italics. The bars are expressed by commas, or, ..."

2. The Christian Remembrancer by William Scott (1843)
"They are placed on the lines on which the note С (i,e. middle С), the note F, a fifth below middle C, and the note G, a fifth above middle C, ..."

3. Lectures on Metaphysics and Logic by William Hamilton (1860)
"For we predicate either [the extreme] A of [the middle] C, and [the middle] C of [the extreme] B ; or [the middle] C of both [extremes] ; or both [extremes] ..."

4. A First Course in Physics by Robert Andrews Millikan, Henry Gordon Gale (1906)
"Standard middle C forks made for physical laboratories all have the vibration number 256. The term "middle C" then means one of these vibration numbers, ..."

5. The Musical World (1853)
"I propose that the scale should be divided into two parts—grave and acute, that middle C should form the division, and become the standard note from which ..."

6. The Miscellaneous and Posthumous Works of Henry Thomas Buckle by Henry Thomas Buckle (1872)
"... from a naval classification made by King Alonzo in the middle c the thirteenth century," &c., &c. ..."

7. The Mentor (1893)
"Thus c^e means middle c and first line <r, but c^c^ means middle c and the fourth space ... Again, c^ g means g below, while ^4 £-5 means g above middle c. ..."

8. The Encyclopedia Americana: A Library of Universal Knowledge (1919)
"Tune middle C to desired pitch, then tune F — fifth below — sharp of C, ... Next tune G — fourth below middle C — flat of C, by one teat a second; ..."

Other Resources:

Search for Middle C on Dictionary.com!Search for Middle C on Thesaurus.com!Search for Middle C on Google!Search for Middle C on Wikipedia!

Search