Phrase guide

pentatonic scale

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A scale having five notes per octave.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music

Examples

  • Japanese mode pentatonic scale: {\set Staff.midiInstrument=#"koto"\override Score.TimeSignature#'stencil =##f{\time6/4 e'f'a'b'c2

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a gapped scale with five notes; usually the fourth and seventh notes of the diatonic scale are omitted

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: pentatone

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: gapped scale

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

8 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 五聲音階 /五声音阶 (wǔshēng yīnjiē) — scale having five notes
  • Finnish: pentatoninen asteikko — scale having five notes
  • Finnish: viisisävelinen asteikko — scale having five notes
  • Polish: skala pentatoniczna — scale having five notes
  • Portuguese: escala pentatónica — scale having five notes
  • Portuguese: escala pentatônica — scale having five notes
  • Romanian: gamă pentatonică — scale having five notes
  • Russian: пентато́ника (pentatónika) — scale having five notes