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organ stop

organ stop

7.9
A group of pipes on an organ that make a particular sound when you choose them
  • noun
  • /ˈɔrɡən stɑp/
  • Jargon
translation icon : registro
  • During the concert, the musician expertly selected an organ stop to enhance the sound of the choir.

Examples

  • The pipe organ features various organ stops that create different tonal qualities for diverse musical pieces.

  • The church's new organ has a beautifully rich organ stop that adds depth to the music.

  • Additional Colorcomp thermoplastic, two ivories, and a black are also used in the company's organ stop keys, draw knob heads, thumb pistons, and nameplates.

    Academic text (2000)

Synonyms

stop
vsorgan stop
  • Specialized
8 8.9

A knob on a pipe organ that controls which pipes sound

is the group of pipes that produces a specific tone when chosen

Surface Forms

organ stop singular
organ stops plural

Morphology

organ + stop

The compound is a straightforward noun + noun composition: an 'organ stop' is simply a 'stop' (a control or rank of pipes) that belongs to an organ. This follows common English compounding patterns and is directly derivable by a B1 learner who knows the constituent meanings (noting only that 'stop' has a slightly specialized organ sense), so the expression is transparent.

Etymology

Organ stop comes from the control on a pipe organ called a stop, a knob that lets a whole set of pipes speak together. Pulling a stop brings out a certain 'tone', so an organ stop is the group of pipes that makes that sound.