WordGarden.iomediant
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /mˈiːdiːənt/
US
- /mˈiːdiːənt/
Meanings
Noun
the third note or scale degree of a scale, or the chord built on it
a fraction formed by adding the numerators and denominators of two fractions
Beyond the definition
The word "mediant" is mostly used in music theory, not in everyday conversation. It means the third note of a scale, placed between the tonic, or home note, and the dominant, the fifth note. This note helps give a key its character, because it is one of the main things that makes music sound major or minor. The word can sound a little like "mediator," but here it does not mean a person. It names a note that sits in the middle and helps shape the sound of a scale or chord.
"Mediant" comes from the Latin medius, meaning "middle," and that idea of being in the middle shapes its main uses. In music theory, the mediant is the third degree of a scale. It stands between the tonic, which is the home note, and the dominant, which is the fifth degree. In a C major scale, for example, E is the mediant. This note matters because it helps define whether a chord or key sounds major or minor, so it plays a big part in the mood and color of the music.
The word also appears in mathematics. The mediant of two fractions is made by adding the numerators together and adding the denominators together. For positive fractions, this new fraction falls between the original two.
Although the word is related in form to words like "mediation," it is not normally used in modern English for a person who settles disputes. Today, you are much more likely to see it in a technical setting, especially in music. You might read a sentence like: "The song moves to the mediant to create a gentle change in feeling." Across its uses, the word keeps the same core idea: something placed in the middle, with a special role in shaping structure and meaning.
Examples
- 1
Scale degree
In C major, E is the mediant, and the melody pauses there before moving back to C.
- 2
Chord function
The song moves from the tonic chord to the mediant chord in the second line.
- Domainthe mediant chord
the chord built on the third note of the scale
- 3
Key relationship
The composer shifts from C major to E major, using a bright mediant relationship between the keys.
- Domainmediant relationship
a link between keys whose main notes are a third apart
See also
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- mediantnoun