tunIcle

[O. Fr., from Lat. Tunicated Bulb and Section. tunicula, dim in. from tunica =atunic (q. v.).] 1. A small and delicate natural covering; a fine integument. "The said medicine likewise is good for to extend and dilate the tunicles that make the ball or apple of the eye." -P. Holland: Pliny , bk. xxv., ch. xiii. 2. Eccles.: A close-fitting vestment formerly worn by deacons, now worn by bishops under the dalmatic, and by sub-deacons. It is not so long as a dalmatic and has narrower sleeves. Sometimes called a tunic. tūn'-ing, pr. par., a. & s. [TUNE, 2.] A. & B. As pr. par . & particip. adj.: (See the verb.) C. As subst.: The art or operation of adjusting a musical instrument so that the various sounds may be all at due intervals, and the scale of the instrument brought into as correct a state as po ible. tuning-fork, s . Music : An instrument of steel, consisting of two prongs branching from a short handle, which, when set in vibration, gives a musical note. It was invented by John Shore, in 1811. Though the pitch of forks varies slightly with changes of temperature, or by rust, ., they are the most accurate means of determining pitch. They are capable of being made of any pitch within certain limits, but those most commonly used are the notes A and C, giving the sounds represented by the second and third spaces in the treble stave. The vibration-number of the note C varies from 518 (French diapason normal) and 528 (Scheibler-medium) to 540 and 544 (Philharmonic).