passing note

noun

: a nonharmonic tone interposed between essential harmonic tones of adjacent chords

called also passing tone

Word History

First Known Use

1730, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of passing note was in 1730

See more words from the same year

Browse Nearby Words

passingness

passing note

passing shot

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Passing note.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/passing%20note. Accessed 27 Nov. 2025.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

cornucopia

Listen to the pronunciation of cornucopia

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What’s the difference between ‘cemetery’ and ‘graveyard’?

Popular in Wordplay

Are you in a 'food coma'?

The Words of the Week - Nov. 21

17 Words for Dog Breeds

Words That Turned 100 in 2025

How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language

Popular

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

Are you in a 'food coma'?

The Words of the Week - Nov. 21