clef

UK/klɛf/US/klɛf/

nounB2+Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #13,639 of 15,258leans written

Other forms: cleves, clefs

A clef is the sign at the start of a staff that fixes the pitches. Treble clef, bass clef, read both clefs.

The word is French for key, and that is exactly its job: the clef tells you which line is which note, and the same written dot means a different pitch under a different clef. Pianists read two at once.

Definitions of clef

1nounclefThe sign at the start of a staff that fixes the pitches.B2+
“Beginners learn to read the treble clef before moving on to the bass.”

clef is a sign.

Where it comes from

French clef means a key, from Latin clavis.

Proto-Indo-European
*(s)kleh₂w-
Latin
clāvis — a key
Middle French
clef
English, today
clef

Middle French clef, from Latin clāvis (“a key”). a doublet of clave and clavis.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Music & Instruments

Practise this word

clef in the wild

A clef (from French: clef 'key') is a musical symbol used to indicate which notes are represented by the lines and spaces on a musical staff.
Clef
The three clef symbols used in modern music notation are the G-clef, F-clef, and C-clef.
Clef
A time signature to the right of the clef indicates the relationship between timing counts and note symbols, while bar lines group notes on the staff into measures.
Staff (music)
Music for bass clef instruments, such as the cello, bassoon or trombone, use tenor clef for the high notes rather than the treble clef.
Ledger line
Alto clef is used for the viola, the alto trombone, and for the tenor trombone parts in Russian repertoire.
Ledger line

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

the clāvis family

clef enclave conclave

clef — used about once every 27,725 pages · #13,639 · point at the bar for the others

cleft

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