embouchure

American  

[ahm-boo-shoor, ahm-boo-shoor, ahn-boo-shyr] / ˌɑm bʊˈʃʊər, ˈɑm bʊˌʃʊər, ɑ̃ buˈʃür /

noun

embouchures plural

1. the mouth of a river.

2. the opening out of a valley into a plain.

3. Music.

   1. the mouthpiece of a wind instrument.

   2. the adjustment of a player's mouth to such a mouthpiece.

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embouchure British  

/ ˌɒmbʊˈʃʊə /

noun

1. the mouth of a river or valley

2. music

   1. the correct application of the lips and tongue in playing a wind instrument

   2. the mouthpiece of a wind instrument

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• embouchures
  plural

Etymology

Origin of embouchure

1750–60; < French, equivalent to embouch ( er ) to put (an instrument) to one's mouth ( em- em- ¹ + bouche mouth < Latin bucca puffed cheek) + -ure -ure

Explanation

If you play the flute or trumpet, you might know that embouchure refers to the way you put your mouth on the instrument in order to make the proper sound. Sometimes the mouthpiece itself is also called an embouchure. Brass and woodwind instruments are all played by blowing into or across an opening, the embouchure. As a method of playing such instruments, embouchure is a way of holding your mouth-including lips, facial muscles, and teeth. This often involves buzzing your lips against the instrument's mouthpiece. Embouchure is a French word that means "river mouth" (from bouche, "mouth") and it used to actually refer to the mouth of a river.