leading tone

2 definitions found

leading tone - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Sensible \Sen"si*ble\, a. [F., fr. L. sensibilis, fr. sensus
     sense.]
     1. Capable of being perceived by the senses; apprehensible
        through the bodily organs; hence, also, perceptible to the
        mind; making an impression upon the sense, reason, or
        understanding; ?????? heat; sensible resistance.
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              Air is sensible to the touch by its motion.
                                                    --Arbuthnot.
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              The disgrace was more sensible than the pain. --Sir
                                                    W. Temple.
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              Any very sensible effect upon the prices of things.
                                                    --A. Smith.
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     2. Having the capacity of receiving impressions from external
        objects; capable of perceiving by the instrumentality of
        the proper organs; liable to be affected physsically or
        mentally; impressible.
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              Would your cambric were sensible as your finger.
                                                    --Shak.
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     3. Hence: Liable to impression from without; easily affected;
        having nice perception or acute feeling; sensitive; also,
        readily moved or affected by natural agents; delicate; as,
        a sensible thermometer. "With affection wondrous
        sensible." --Shak.
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     4. Perceiving or having perception, either by the senses or
        the mind; cognizant; perceiving so clearly as to be
        convinced; satisfied; persuaded.
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              He [man] can not think at any time, waking or
              sleeping, without being sensible of it. --Locke.
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              They are now sensible it would have been better to
              comply than to refuse.                --Addison.
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     5. Having moral perception; capable of being affected by
        moral good or evil.
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     6. Possessing or containing sense or reason; giftedwith, or
        characterized by, good or common sense; intelligent; wise.
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              Now a sensible man, by and by a fool. --Shak.
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     Sensible note or Sensible tone (Mus.), the major seventh
        note of any scale; -- so called because, being but a half
        step below the octave, or key tone, and naturally leading
        up to that, it makes the ear sensible of its approaching
        sound. Called also the leading tone.
  
     Sensible horizon. See Horizon, n., 2.
        (a) .
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     Syn: Intelligent; wise.
  
     Usage: Sensible, Intelligent. We call a man sensible
            whose judgments and conduct are marked and governed by
            sound judgment or good common semse. We call one
            intelligent who is quick and clear in his
            understanding, i. e., who discriminates readily and
            nicely in respect to difficult and important
            distinction. The sphere of the sensible man lies in
            matters of practical concern; of the intelligent man,
            in subjects of intellectual interest. "I have been
            tired with accounts from sensible men, furnished with
            matters of fact which have happened within their own
            knowledge." --Addison. "Trace out numerous footsteps .
            . . of a most wise and intelligent architect
            throughout all this stupendous fabric." --Woodward.
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leading tone - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  leading tone
      n 1: (music) the seventh note of the diatonic scale [syn:
           subtonic, leading tone]