meantone system: Meaning and Definition of

mean'tone sys"tem

Pronunciation: (mēn'tōn"), [key]
— Music. Music.
  1. a system for tuning keyboard instruments, used before the development of tuning by equal temperament and considered practical only for tonalities of not more than two sharps or flats.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.