2022-01-16 ศัพท์ น่าสับสน - Set – chord & cord

Revision C

2022-01-16

ศัพท์ น่าสับสน - Set – chord & cord

แนะนำการใช้ ตามที่ส่วนใหญ่ใช้ แต่ละท้องถิ่น 

ความหมาย อาจผันแปร ตาม ตำแหน่ง/หน้าที่ ในประโยค

 

Dictionary.com:

ออกเสียง chord & cord = “KAWRD”

 

The A-Z of Correct English Common Errors in English Dictionary:

chord & cord

CHORD is used in a mathematical or musical context.

CORD = refers to string and is generally used 

when referring toanatomical parts 

like the umbilical cord, spinal cord and vocal cords. 

Note: you will occasionally see 

CHORD used instead of CORD in a medical context 

but it seems very old-fashioned now.

 

Dictionary of Problem Words and Expressions:

chord & cord

A chord is a combination of musical tone: 

“The pianist played the opening chords.”

 

A cord  is a string or a rope:

“Tie your package with sturdy cord.”

 

Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

Usage Notes

'Chord' vs. 'Cord'

How to tell these two commonly confused words apart

What to Know

A cord is a long flexible string or rope, 

often made of thinner pieces woven together. 

 

A chord on the other hand is 

"three or more musical tones played together."

 

The 'cord' that means "string" comes from the Latin word 'chorda'. 

The 'chord' that means "a collection of notes" 

is an alteration of the Middle English word 'cord'. 

This may not be helpful in remembering 

which spelling corresponds to which meaning.

 

For evidence of our language’s antagonism towards its speakers, 

we need look no further than the words cord 

(“long, thin material that is usually thicker than a string 

but thinner than a rope”) 

and chord(“three or more musical tones sounded simultaneously”).

 

These homophones are occasionally confused by people, 

because homophones are confusing things 

(a homophone is “one of two or more words pronounced alike 

but different in meaning or derivation or spelling”). 

It often appears that the simpler the homophones are,

the greater the difficulty in telling them apart; 

we still do not appear to have a collective handle 

on two, too, and to, 

and these forms have been fairly static for quite some time.

 

Origins of Cord and Chord

One useful way of distinguishing between two similar words 

is to remember some aspect of their origin. 

 

So let’s try that out with cord and chord, shall we?

Cord (the string) may be traced back to the Latin word chorda 

(meaning "catgut").

And chord (the collection of notes) 

is an alteration of the Middle English word cord.

This is something that would, on initial inspection, 

appear to fall into the category of "unhelpful etymology." 

However, the fact that cord comes from chorda 

and chord comes from cord does in fact make sense, 

if we dig a little deeper.

 

The Middle English cord which gave us the musical chord 

is a shortening of the word accord 

(“agreement; as in opinion, will, or action”). 

 

It should be noted that there is also another sense of chord, 

which initially referred to a string on a musical instrument 

(and this is the chord we are referring to when we say 

that something "struck a chord with the audience"). 

 

This chord comes from the Latin word for "catgut." 

Yes, the same word that gave us cord (the piece of string).

 

Is this helpful? We hope it is, 

but recognize that the explanation may simply have muddied the waters for those who have trouble distinguishing between these two words. 

 

If this is the case you may, instead of relying on etymology, 

use the following mnemonic to help you: 

a cord is a single piece of string, while 

a chord is a group of notes

 — therefore the word which has more letters in it 

is the one for the collection of notes. 

That is as simple as we can make it, 

and just be glad we didn’t introduce cored into the matter.

 

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language:

Usage Note: 

The words chord and cord are often confused

—and with good reason,for they are really three words, not two. 

There are two words spelled chord 

(listed as separate entries with homograph numbers in this dictionary). 

The first comes from the word accord 

and refers to a harmonious combination of three or more musical notes.

The second is an alteration of cord, 

taking its spelling from Greek chorda, "string, gut," by way of Latin. 

This is the mathematical chord

—a line segment that joins two points on a curve. 

Cord itself means "a string or rope." 

It has many extensions, as in an electrical cord and a cord of wood. 

 

When referring to anatomical structures, 

it can be spelled in general usage either as cord or chord 

(again by influence of Greek and Latin). 

 

Strict medical usage requires cord, however.

A doctor may examine a spinal cord or vocal cords, not chords.

 

Collins COBUILD English Usage:

Chord - cord 

These words are both pronounced /kɔːd/.

1. 'chord'

A chord is a number of musical notes played or sung 

together to produce a pleasant sound.

He played some random chords.

 

2. 'cord'

Cord is strong, thick string. 

A cord is a piece of this string.

She tied a cord around her box.

 

A cord is also a length of wire covered with plastic 

which connects a piece of electrical equipment to an electricity supply.