What does bémol in French mean?

What is the meaning of the word bémol in French? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use bémol in French.

The word bémol in French means flat, flat, drawback, damper, snag, flaw, failing, flat, tone down. To learn more, please see the details below.

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Meaning of the word bémol

flat

nom masculin (Musique (signe d'affaiblissement de ton) (Music)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Le bémol abaisse la note qu'il précède d'un demi-ton.
A flat lowers by a semitone the note that comes after it.

flat

nom masculin (Musique (note abaissée d'un demi-ton) (Music)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
Tu as encore oublié de jouer ce bémol !
You forgot to play that flat again!

drawback, damper, snag, flaw, failing

nom masculin (familier, figuré (légère restriction, nuance)

(noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc.)
J'apporterais un bémol à ce compte-rendu optimiste, il y a encore des points à améliorer.
I would add a qualification to this optimistic report; there is still room for improvement.

flat

adjectif invariable (Musique (abaissé d'un demi-ton) (Music)

(adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house.")
L'accord de do mineur se compose des notes : do, mi bémol et sol.
The C minor chord is made up of the notes C, E-flat, and G.

tone down

locution verbale (figuré, familier (nuancer, baisser d'un ton) (figurative)

(phrasal verb, transitive, separable: Verb with adverb(s) or preposition(s), having special meaning, divisible--for example, "call off" [=cancel], "call the game off," "call off the game.")
Tu devrais mettre un bémol à ton discours si tu ne veux pas faire peur à tes électeurs.

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