metronome

noun

met·ro·nome ˈme-trə-ˌnōm

: a device designed to mark exact time by a regularly repeated tick

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The patent for the metronome was entered in 1816: "John Malzl [sic], of Poland-street, Middlesex, Machinist; for an instrument . . . which he denominates a Metronome, or musical time-keeper." The courts, however, later proved that the aforementioned Johann Maelzel copied a pendulum design of Dietrich Winkel, making Winkel the actual inventor. Nonetheless, Maelzel was the more successful marketer of the metronome and even has a notation named after him. The "M.M." in notations like "M.M. = 60" stands for "Maelzel's metronome" and indicates a tempo of 60 beats per minute or a beat per tick of the metronome as it ticks 60 times, in the case of our example. The name of the invention itself is based on the Greek words metron, meaning "measure," and nomos, meaning "law."

Examples of metronome in a Sentence

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The technique, called external cueing, works by using visual, auditory, or tactile prompts—colored tape on the ground, playing a metronome, or physical vibrations—to engage neural pathways not affected by the disease. —

Grace Browne, WIRED, 10 Dec. 2024 The announcements came like a metronome at the start of last season, a steady stream of almost weekly news releases from the Dodgers announcing one Japanese sponsorship deal after the next. April 1: Dodgers and All Nippon Airways (Japan’s biggest airline) announce multi-year partnership. —

Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024 What if the Fifth were to fall into the same category—even if the motivating factor were a faulty metronome marking? —

Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2024 These 19th-century hacks presage a 21st-century example: In response to insurance companies that offer discounts for those who use fitness trackers, the satirical project Unfit Bits suggests ways to trick your step tracker, such as by attaching the device to a metronome. —

Jacqueline D. Wernimont, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for metronome