concertina

American  

[kon-ser-tee-nuh] / ˌkɒn sərˈti nə /

noun

1. a musical instrument resembling an accordion but having buttonlike keys, hexagonal bellows and ends, and a more limited range.

2. concertina wire.

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verb (used without object)

concertinaed, concertinaing

1. to fold, crush together, or collapse in the manner of a concertina.

   The car concertinaed when it hit the truck.

verb (used with object)

concertinaed, concertinaing

1. to cause to fold or collapse in the manner of a concertina.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or resembling a concertina.

   concertina pleats.

concertina British  

/ ˌkɒnsəˈtiːnə /

noun

1. a small hexagonal musical instrument of the reed organ family in which metallic reeds are vibrated by air from a set of bellows operated by the player's hands. Notes are produced by pressing buttons

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verb

1. (intr) to collapse or fold up like a concertina

Other Word Forms

• concertinist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of concertina

Apparently coined by the original instrument's inventor, English instrument-maker Charles Wheatstone (1802–75), who patented it in 1829; cf. concertino, seraphina a similar instrument

Example Sentences

Concertina wire and a security camera line the perimeter of a Pennsylvania detention center.

From US News • Oct. 25, 2016

“I was sitting in one corner and Concertina was sitting in the other,” Mrs. Gainsborough explained to Sylvia.

From The Early Life and Adventures of Sylvia Scarlett by MacKenzie, Compton

Concertina, in course, and tin whistle, to give 'em a rouser all round, And "chorus," all over the shop, till the winders 'll shake at the sound.

From Mr. Punch's Cockney Humour by Various

The Flute, a cheap kind of fife, and the Concertina are the favourites.

From Jamaican Song and Story Annancy stories, digging sings, ring tunes, and dancing tunes by Jekyll, Walter

This is a Concertina, and It's make is Anglo-German, You can't expect the thing to be English alone, completely; But really, as 'tis played by me.

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 99, July 19, 1890 by Various