1. (a.) Applied to, or distinguishing, a speech element consisting of tone, or proper vocal sound, not pure as in the vowels, but dimmed and otherwise modified by some kind of obstruction in the oral or the nasal passage, and in some cases with a mixture of breath sound; -- a term introduced by Dr. James Rush in 1833.

2. (n.) A subtonic sound or element; a vocal consonant, as b, d, g, n, etc.; a subvocal.

3. (n.) The seventh tone of the scale, or that immediately below the tonic; -- called also subsemitone.

absolute accidental all-absorbing arch ascendant assertive at the head authoritarian authoritative authorized autocratic average banner besetting boss breve capital cardinal central champion chief clothed with authority cock commanding common competent conquering consequential considerable controlling crotchet crowning current defeating demisemiquaver dominant note double whole note duly constituted eighth note eminent empowered enharmonic enharmonic note epidemic ex officio first flat flushed with success focal foremost general governing great half note head headmost hegemonic hegemonistic hemidemisemiquaver highest imperative important in ascendancy in charge in chief in the ascendant influential key key signature keynote leading magisterial main major major key master mediant mighty minim minor momentous monocratic musical note natural normal note number official on the throne ordinary outstanding overbearing overcoming overriding overruling pandemic paramount patent note pedal point popular potent powerful predominant predominate predominating preeminent premier prepollent preponderant preponderate prepotent prestigious prevailing prevalent primal primary prime principal prominent puissant quarter note quaver rampant ranking regnant regulating regulative regulatory reigning report responding note rife routine ruling running semibreve semiquaver senior shaped note sharp sixteenth note sixty-fourth note sovereign spiccato staccato standard star stellar stereotyped subdominant submediant substantial subtonic successful supereminent superior supertonic supreme surpassing sustained note swaying tercet thirty-second note tonality tone tonic tonic key topflight topmost totalitarian transcendent triplet triumphal triumphant uppermost usual vanquishing victorious weighty whole note winning