Etymology
The whole note derives from the semibrevis of mensural notation, and this is the origin of the British name. The American name is a loan translation of the German ganze Note.
The names of this note (and rest) in different languages vary greatly:
| Language | note name | rest name |
|---|---|---|
| Dutch | hele noot | hele rust |
| German | ganze Note | ganze Pause |
| Greek | Olokliro (ολόκληρο) | Pafsi oloklirou (παύση ολοκλήρου) |
| French | ronde | pause |
| Italian | semibreve | pausa di semibreve |
| Spanish | redonda | silencio de redonda |
| Portuguese | semibreve | pausa de semibreve |
| Polish | cała nuta | pauza całonutowa |
| Romanian | notă întreagă | pauză |
| Russian | целая нота | целая пауза |
| Lithuanian | pilnoji nata | pilnoji pauzė |
| Swedish | helnot | helpaus |
| Chinese (中文) | 全音符 | 全休止符 |
| Korean | 온음표 | 온쉼표 |
The French and Spanish names for the note (both meaning "round") derive from the fact that the semibrevis was distinguished by its round stemless shape, which is true as well of the modern form (in contrast to the double whole note or shorter values with stems). The Greek name means "whole".
Michael Miller wrote, "he most basic note is called the whole note because ... it lasts a whole measure ...".
Read more about this topic: Whole Note
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