tritone means an interval of three whole tones. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 89 out of 100.
Why this word is great
TRITONE — [Noun] A dissonant musical interval comprising three whole tones, most commonly expressed as an augmented fourth or diminished fifth. Its name is from the Medieval Latin *tritonus*, from the Ancient Greek τρίτονος (*trítonos*), from *tri-* ("three") + *tonos* ("tone"). Unlike the stable, consonant "perfect fourth" or the simple, foundational "whole tone," the tritone is harmonic instability given precise mathematical form. It is the *diabolus in musica* of medieval prohibition; the vertiginous lean of a blues guitarist's bent string; and the menacing, unresolved spine of the opening riff to Black Sabbath's "Black Sabbath." This is the sound of a flaw in the architecture of hearing itself—a perfect mathematical imbalance the ear can neither accept nor ignore.
noun
- An interval of three whole tones.“Near-synonyms: augmented fourth, diminished fifth”
- A picture printed in three shades.“In Photoshop’s Duotone mode you can create monotones, duotones, tritones, and quadtones—grayscale images to which you add one, two, three, or four colors.”
adj
- Having three tones.“The first cotume^([sic]) in which Mrs. Earle appeared was a tritone dress of crepe, with a brown velour cloche and brown calf sling pumps.”