treble

treble [treb-uh l] ExamplesWord Origin adjective

1. threefold; triple.
2. Music.
   1. of or relating to the highest part in harmonized music; soprano.
   2. of the highest pitch or range, as a voice part, voice, singer, or instrument.
   3. high in pitch; shrill.

noun

3. Music.
   1. the treble or soprano part.
   2. a treble voice, singer, or instrument.
4. a high or shrill voice or sound.
5. the highest-pitched peal of a bell.

verb (used with or without object), tre·bled, tre·bling.

6. to make or become three times as much or as many; triple.

Origin of treble 1275–1325; (adj. and noun) Middle English Middle French Latin triplus triple; (v.) Middle English treblen, derivative of the adj.Related formstre·bly [treb-lee] /ˈtrɛb li/, adverb Examples from the Web for trebled Historical Examples of trebled

Had her poor little room doubled its size and trebled its furniture?

Quaint Courtships

Various

We have trebled our holding at Anzac and we have put Suvla Bay in our pocket.

Gallipoli Diary, Volume 2

Ian Hamilton

With trebled foreboding she opened her door softly, and went towards his.

A Pair of Blue Eyes

Thomas Hardy

Then the white population of the station doubled and trebled itself.

From Place to Place

Irvin S. Cobb

In fifty years, too, they have trebled the amount of capital invested in agriculture.

Up To Date Business

Various

British Dictionary definitions for trebled treble adjective

1. threefold; triple
2. of, relating to, or denoting a soprano voice or part or a high-pitched instrument

noun

3. three times the amount, size, etc
4. a soprano voice or part or a high-pitched instrument
5. the highest register of a musical instrument
6. 1. the high-frequency response of an audio amplifier, esp in a record player or tape recorder
   2. a control knob on such an instrument by means of which the high-frequency gain can be increased or decreased
7. bell-ringing the lightest and highest bell in a ring
8. 1. the narrow inner ring on a dartboard
   2. a hit on this ring

verb

9. to make or become three times as much

Derived Formstrebleness, nountrebly, adverb, adjectiveWord Origin for treble C14: from Old French, from Latin triplus threefold, triple Word Origin and History for trebled treble adj.

late 14c., “three times, triple,” from Old French treble (12c.), from Latin triplus (see triple).

treble v.

early 14c., “to multiply by three,” from Old French trebler, from treble (see treble (adj.)). Related: Trebled; trebling.

treble n.

“highest part in music, soprano,” mid-14c., from Anglo-French treble, Old French treble (see treble (adj.)). In early contrapuntal music, the chief melody was in the tenor, and the treble was the “third” part above it (after the alto).