Dorian mode

noun

1

: an ancient Greek mode consisting of two disjunct tetrachords represented on the white keys of the piano by a descending diatonic scale from E to E see greek mode

2

: an authentic church mode represented on the white keys of the piano by a diatonic scale from D to D with A as its tenor (see tenor entry 1 sense 2a) and D as its final (see final entry 2 sense c) see church mode illustration

Word History

Etymology

translation of Greek dōria harmonia

First Known Use

1667, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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