A unit of subjective pitch, on a scale that is proportional to the pitch of a sound, the pitch of a note of frequency 1000 Hz being equal to 1000 mels.
Origin
1930s; earliest use found in Stanley Smith Stevens (1906–1973). Shortened from melody.
Definition of mel in US English:
mel
nounmɛl
Acoustics
A unit of subjective pitch, on a scale that is proportional to the pitch of a sound, the pitch of a note of frequency 1000 Hz being equal to 1000 mels.
Origin
1930s; earliest use found in Stanley Smith Stevens (1906–1973). Shortened from melody.