chromatic
Definitions
Relating to or produced by color
颜色的；色彩的
(music) relating to or using notes not belonging to the diatonic scale; based on the twelve-semitone scale
（音乐）半音的；半音阶的
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedchromat- (Greek chrōma, 'color') + -ic (adjective) = 'relating to color.' The musical sense is the common one: a chromatic scale uses all twelve semitones, so the 'extra' half-steps between the plain notes are felt as 'coloring' the music, just as color fills out a plain line drawing.
Root chrom still carries 5 more wordsUsage Guide
- Music (most common): the chromatic scale, a chromatic passage — full of semitones, 'colored' notes.
- Optics/physics: chromatic aberration — the rainbow fringe a lens adds to an image.
- Color theory: chromatic colors are those that have a hue, as opposed to achromatic black/white/grey.
Note: in casual English you say 'colorful,' not 'chromatic' — chromatic is technical.
Example Sentences
- 1.
The flautist practiced the chromatic scale every morning.
- 2.
Cheap lenses suffer from chromatic aberration around bright edges.
- 3.
The composer used chromatic harmony to create a tense mood.
Easily Confused
chromatic vs colorful — both touch on color, but chromatic is technical: it labels color as a physical/musical property (chromatic scale, chromatic aberration). colorful is the everyday word for 'having bright, varied colors' (a colorful market). You would never call a painting 'chromatic' to praise its colors.