Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

great scale

noun

Definition of great scale 

: the scale ascribed to Guido d'Arezzo that includes the seven hexachords and all notes recognized in medieval church music, its notes being named by letters combined with the syllables of the successive hexachords (as Gamma ut, A re, B mi, C fa ut) — compare solmization

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

  • More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
  • Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
  • Advanced search features
  • Ad free!

Learn More about great scale

Share great scale

Statistics for great scale

Look-up Popularity

Comments on great scale

What made you want to look up great scale? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

tchotchke

a knickknack or trinket

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Find the Cousins

  • a-large-tree-with-many-branches
  • Which pair shares a common word ancestor?
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ
SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games