Dī'a-tōn'ic, a.

a. [Gr. διατονικός and διάτονος, from διατείνειν, to stretch out, to extend, from διά, through, and τείνειν, to stretch, τόνος, a stretching, a straining or raising of the voice, a tone; Lat. diatonicus, diatonus, Fr. diatonique, diatone.] (Mus.) Pertaining to the scale of eight tones, the eighth of which is the octave of the first.

Diatonic scale (Mus.), a scale consisting of eight sounds with seven intervals, of which two are semitones and five are whole tones.