Phrygian mode

noun

Definition of Phrygian mode

1 : an ancient Greek mode represented on the white keys of the piano by a descending diatonic scale from D to D — see greek mode
2 : an authentic church mode represented on the white keys of the piano by a diatonic scale from E to E with C as its tenor (see tenor entry 1 sense 2a) and E as its final (see final entry 2 sense c) — see church mode illustration

First Known Use of Phrygian mode

1654, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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