English

Etymology

Noun

1. a composition written for nine instruments or nine voices

   The small-group sides are the best, with the nonet in particular coming through as a sparkling unit — Saturday Review

2. a group of nine nuclear or subatomic particles

• In music, a nonet is a composition which requires nine musicians for a performance. Spohr and Martinu composed nonets.

• In poetry, a nonet is a nine line poem, with the first line containing nine syllables, the next eight, so on until the last line has one syllable. Nonets can be written about any subject, and rhyming is optional.

• In computer technology, a nonet is a group of nine data bits. Such groups are not often used, so the term is much rarer than the related eight bit "octet".