Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Relating to or involving measurement: Pertaining to the act or process of measuring.
   • Having notes of fixed rhythmic value: In music, describing a notation system where the duration of notes is precisely defined and measurable.

Usage and Examples

• Relating to measurement:

  • The study involved precise mensural data collection.
  • Mensural units like the meter and kilogram are fundamental to science.

• In music (historical context):

  • Mensural notation was a system used in European music from the 13th to 16th centuries.
  • In this score, the notes are mensural, each with a specific, unchangeable duration.

Advanced Usage

• Mensural canon: A type of musical canon where the following voice(s) imitate the leader at a different, precisely measured tempo.
  • The composer's use of a mensural canon created a complex, layered texture.

Variants and Related Words

• Measure (n/v): The primary root. As a noun: a unit or standard of measurement. As a verb: to ascertain the dimensions or quantity of something.
• Measurable (adj): Capable of being measured.
• Measurement (n): The act or process of measuring; a dimension, quantity, or capacity determined by measuring.

Synonyms

• Metric: Relating to measurement or the metric system.
• Quantitative: Concerned with quantity or measurable amounts.

Antonyms

• Non-mensural: Not involving fixed measurement. In music, this could refer to unmetered or free-rhythm passages.
• Qualitative: Concerned with quality or character rather than measurable quantity.

Adjective

1. having notes of fixed rhythmic value
2. of or relating to measure