clef

Alternative forms

• cleff, cliff (both obsolete)

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French clef, from Latin clāvis (“a key”). Doublet of clave and clavis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /klɛf/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛf

Noun

clef (plural clefs)

2. (music) A symbol found on a musical staff that indicates the pitches represented by the lines and the spaces on the staff [from 16th c.]

Etymology

See clé.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kle/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -e
• Homophones: clé, clefs, clés

Noun

clef f (plural clefs)

1. Alternative spelling of clé (“key”)
2. (music) clef
3. (heraldry) key; the device as shown on a coat of arms

Further reading

• “clef”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Etymology

Inherited from Old French clef.

Noun

clef f (plural clefs)

1. key

Adjective

clef m or f (invariable)

1. key (vitally important)

Etymology

Inherited from Latin clāvem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈklɛf/

Noun

clef oblique singular, f (oblique plural cles, nominative singular clef, nominative plural cles)

1. key