noun
mel
mehl
noun
1
A unit used to measure the pitch that people perceive, as opposed to the raw physical frequency of a sound.
"Audio engineers use the mel scale to model how humans hear pitch."
name
1
A short form of names such as Melanie, Melissa, or Melvin.
"Everyone just calls her Mel for short."
How to Use Mel
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither a technical unit for perceived pitch, or a friendly nickname.
Word Forms
mels plural
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Audio engineers use the _____ scale to model how humans hear pitch.
Etymology
The pitch-unit sense comes from a shortening of "melody"; the name is a diminutive of longer names like Melanie or Melvin.