linear temperament

A linear temperament is fully described by a generator and periodicity interval. The mapping from generators to consonances is fixed.

For example, meantones are defined by the generator approximating 3:2 and four generators approximating 5:4. The generator can have different sizes, giving 1/3-, 1/4-, 1/6- comma meantone, but they're all the same temperament class. 53-equal, however, isn't a meantone because the best 5:4 is 8 fourths rather than 4 fifths.

The difference between a generator and an equivalence interval is only a matter of formalism.

[from Graham Breed, Yahoo tuning-math message 4235 (Mon May 13, 2002 9:57 am)]

See also:

unequal temperaments,
planar temperaments, and
Graham's Catalog of Linear Temperaments.

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