Definition: Chromatic refers to a scale or a series of notes in music that includes all twelve pitches, each a semitone apart. It can also describe colours that are highly saturated or varied in hue.
Etymology & Origin: The term ‘chromatic’ comes from the Greek word ‘khrōmatikos,’ meaning ‘relating to colour.’ It entered the English language in the early 17th century, initially relating to colour and later being applied in a musical context to describe scales that include all semitones.
Examples:
- In music theory, a chromatic scale includes all twelve pitches within an octave, unlike diatonic scales, which consist of seven pitches.
- The artist used a chromatic palette to create a vibrant and visually dynamic painting.
- Chromatic aberration in optics refers to the dispersion of light into its constituent colours, often seen as fringes of colour along the edges of objects in images.
