Diatonic, di-a-ton'ik, a

(Mus.) Pert, to the scale of 8 tones, the 8th of which the octave of the [Gr. diatonikos, dia and teinevi, to stretch, tonos, a stretching, tone.] —Diatonic scale. (Mus.) A scale consisting of 8 sounds with 7 intervals, of which 2 are semitones and 5 whole tones.