Definition of "etude" [etude]

• Music A piece composed for the development of a specific point of technique. (noun)
• Music A composition featuring a point of technique but performed because of its artistic merit. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "And you obviously have never tackled a Chopin etude as undergrad."
• "Well, if you burn through that Chopin etude, you might just, um, burn through that Chopin etude: Hazard: The recalled keyboards can overheat when in use, posing a fire hazard to consumers."
• "I haven't felt this "Revolutionary" since I learned the Chopin etude."