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Meaning of "half-step" in the English dictionary

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DICTIONARY
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PRONUNCIATION OF HALF-STEP

half-step play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF HALF-STEP

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Half-Step is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES HALF-STEP MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Semitone

A semitone, also called a half step or a half tone, is the smallest musical interval commonly used in Western tonal music, and it is considered the most dissonant when sounded harmonically. It is defined as the interval between two adjacent notes in a 12-tone scale (e.g. from C to C♯). This implies that its size is exactly or approximately equal to 100 cents, a twelfth of an octave. In a 12-note approximately equally divided scale, any interval can be defined in terms of an appropriate number of semitones (e.g. a whole tone or major second is 2 semitones wide, a major third 4 semitones, and a perfect fifth 7 semitones. In music theory, a distinction is made between a diatonic semitone, or minor second (an interval encompassing two staff positions, e.g. from C to D♭) and a chromatic semitone or augmented unison (an interval between two notes at the same staff position, e.g. from C to C♯). These are enharmonically equivalent when twelve-tone equal temperament is used, but are not the same thing in meantone temperament, where the diatonic semitone is distinguished from and larger than the chromatic semitone (augmented unison.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE HALF-STEP

half-second
half-section
half-serious
half-seriously
half-shut
half-silvered
half-sister
half-size
half-sleeve
half-slip
half-smile
half-sole
half-staff
half-starved
half-tide
half-timber
half-timbered
half-timbering
half-time
half-title

WORDS THAT END LIKE HALF-STEP

corbie-step
doorstep
dubstep
footstep
goose-step
in step
instep
lockstep
naughty step
one-step
out of step
quickstep
sidestep
single-step
stair-step
step
step by step
step-by-step
twelve-step
two-step

Synonyms and antonyms of half-step in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «half-step» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF HALF-STEP

Find out the translation of half-step to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of half-step from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «half-step» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

半步
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

medio paso
570 millions of speakers

English

half-step
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

आधा कदम
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

نصف خطوة
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

полшага
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

semitom
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

অর্ধ-পদক্ষেপ
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

demi-pas
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Setengah langkah
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Halbschritt
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

ハーフステップ
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

반 단계
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Setengah langkah
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

nửa bước
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

அரை-படிநிலை
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

अर्धा-पायरी
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

yarım adım
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

mezzo passo
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

pół kroku
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

півкроку
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

jumătate de pas
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

μισό - βήμα
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

half- stap
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

halv - steg
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

halvt trinn
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of half-step

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «HALF-STEP»

The term «half-step» is regularly used and occupies the 95.786 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
55
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «half-step» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of half-step
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «half-step».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «HALF-STEP» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «half-step» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «half-step» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about half-step

EXAMPLES

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «HALF-STEP»

Discover the use of half-step in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to half-step and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
A half step behind: Japanese women today
In A Half Step Behind, author and journalist Jane Condon explores this often ignored other half of the Japanese success story--Japanese women.
Jane Condon, 1991
2
Essentials of Music Theory, Bk 2: Teacher's Activity Kit
t/i* artec completing page 45 Uffili AI-TIUITV 2 Name/Class Tetrachords (C G and D) Whole and Half Steps Tetrachords (F, C and B?), Whole and Half Steps whether black or white, is a half Step . Q Write a half note in each measure above or ...
Karen Surmani, Morton Manus, Andrew Surmani, 2002
3
The Art of French Horn Playing
The little brass pear-shaped mute with the small piece of tubing at the end, which raises the pitch a half- step, should not be used when the composition requires muting. This is not really a mute, because it does require transposing. We know ...
Philip Farkas, 1956
4
Everything about Guitar Chords Book 2
A whole step is equal to two frets on the guitar, and a half step is the distance of one fret. In other words, a Major Diatonic Scale is a succession of tones arranged in a regular pattern. We hear this as a natural progression of tones when played ...
Wilbur M. Savidge, 1993
5
The Correct Order of Fundamental Harmonies: A Treatise on ...
(b) Diatonic Half-steps. eta A step is a progression from one tone to another, involving an inaudible chromatic half-step, e. g. : I I etc. SECTION II. An ascending or descending intermingled succession of five steps and two diatonic half-steps ...
Simon Sechter, 1871
6
A Guide to Non-Jazz Improvisation
Dan Fox, Dick Weissman. The F harmonic minor scale has The same key signaTure as Al major, so B, E, A, and D are flaTTed. Then The E is changed To a naTural when iT appears in The music. Whole step half step Whole step whole step ...
Dan Fox, Dick Weissman, 2011
7
Pentatonic Khancepts
and finally up one more half step for the Bbmaj7 chord too. Listen to what that sounds like over the recorded play-along example. Then, change your phrasing and keep experimenting with different configurations of the notes and the usage of ...
Steve Khan, 2002
8
Billy Sheehan Basic Bass
The sequence uses patterns 1 and 2: half step & whole step (4th string), half step & whole step (3rd string), whole step & half step (2nd string), whole step & half step (1st string). Pattern 1 : half step & whole step The next example shows all the  ...
Billy Sheehan, 2004
9
Violin For Dummies, 2nd Edition
meet the smallest interval, the half step,many times in this book, whenever you put two fingers close together. An example of a half step is in the “A string” section of this chapter: Finger 1 (playing the note B) and finger 2 (playing the note C) are ...
Katharine Rapoport, 2012
10
Blues Harmonica for Beginners
The two most important distances are the half step and the whole step. The whole step is a bigger distance than the half-step. The distance from E (hole 5 blow) to F (hole 5 draw) is a half step. Look on a piano keyboard. You'll see white and ...
Rob Fletcher, 1998

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «HALF-STEP»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term half-step is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar now comfortable as a public intellectual …
No half-step. Talk about ironies: I'm in this position now, the writer and not the target anymore.” • Where Are They Now: From Favre to Harris, ... «SI.com, Jul 15»
2
Kevin Owens Must Win at WWE Battleground 2015 to Validate Main …
Owens is a half-step away from being the company's top heel, and taking the United States Championship from Cena at Battleground could ... «Bleacher Report, Jul 15»
3
Fetty Wap's Tweaked Sound Yields Hit in 'Trap Queen' - The New …
I ain't going to half-step it,” adding, “My engineer, he got my voice already.” Baauer replies, “Can we text him and see what kind of plug-ins he ... «New York Times, Jul 15»
4
Bjoern Werner Priming For 2015, Expanding Game In Germany
That makes you a half-step slower. And being that extra half-step slow, that's not getting you to the quarterback. That's how it goes. «Colts.com, Jul 15»
5
ESPN explains choice of Caitlyn Jenner for ESPY award | Chicago
... by a half-step. In the eighth, he dove toward center to snare Marcell Ozuna's drive, then threw a one-hopper to first from his knees for the out. «Chicago Sun-Times, Jul 15»
6
US runs away from Japan in second half for IFAF win - Times Reporter
I think things they were right on in the first half they were maybe just a half-step off on in the second half. It might sound little, but little things can ... «Times Reporter, Jul 15»
7
Wimbledon - Time to stop taking Djokovic for granted - ESPN.com
Those sharper angles took time from Federer, who at times looked a half-step slow. Their career series is now, appropriately, a 20-20 push. «ESPN, Jul 15»
8
Futures Game 2015: Turner Thrives On Proving Them Wrong …
It's a half-step on the front end and a half-step on the back that I've been able to cut out. “The other adjustment is just playing every day. «Baseball America, Jul 15»
9
Oakland A's starter Chris Bassitt has a tough matchup in the …
... only 3 lefties), and in his second start he moved a half-step up to a bad lineup full of lefties (Mariners, 7 of them). Now he gets a slightly bigger ... «Athletics Nation, Jul 15»
10
Were Movie Critics Too Harsh on 'Minions'? | Cartoon Brew
But even Minions's positive reviews managed to take a half-step backward, perhaps worried they would be taken seriously, unlike the film. «Cartoon Brew, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Half-Step [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/half-step-1>. Apr 2024 ».
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