CORD (derived through the Fr. corde, from the

See also:

• LAT

Lat. chorda, Gr. xop(5rt, the

See also:

• STRING

string of a musical

See also:

• INSTRUMENT (Lat. instrumentum, from insincere, to build up, furnish, arrange, prepare)

instrument)  , a length of twisted or woven strands, in thickness coming between a rope and a string, a smaller kind of rope (q.v.) . From the use of such a cord for measuring, the word is applied to a quantity of cut wood, differing according to locality . The variant " chord," which, in spelling, reverts to the original Latin, is used in particular senses, as, in physiology, for such cord-like structures as the vocal chords; in the case of the " umbilical cord," the other spelling is usually retained . In mathematics a " chord " is a straight line joining any two points on the same curve, and, in music, the word is used of several musical notes sounded simultaneously and in harmony (q.v.) . In this last sense, " chord " is properly a shortened form of " accord," agreement, from Late Lat. accordare, and the spelling with h is due to a confusion .