clef
EnglishEdit
Alternative formsEdit
EtymologyEdit
Borrowed from Middle French clef, from Latin clāvis (“a key”).
PronunciationEdit
- Rhymes: -ɛf
NounEdit
clef (plural clefs)
- A symbol found on a musical staff that indicates the pitches represented by the lines and the spaces on the staff [from 16th c.]
Derived termsEdit
Derived terms
Related termsEdit
TranslationsEdit
musical symbol
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FrenchEdit
EtymologyEdit
See clé.
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
clef f (plural clefs)
- Alternative spelling of clé (“key”)
- (music) clef
- (heraldry) key; the device as shown on a coat of arms
Derived termsEdit
Further readingEdit
- “clef” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
Middle FrenchEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Old French clef.
NounEdit
clef f (plural clefs)
AdjectiveEdit
clef m or f (invariable)
- key (vitally important)
DescendantsEdit
Old FrenchEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Latin clāvis, clāvem (“a key”).
NounEdit
clef f (oblique plural cles, nominative singular clef, nominative plural cles)