Also called Fifeshire. a historic county in E Scotland.
a region in E Scotland. 504 sq. mi. (1,305 sq. km).
1540–50; < German Pfeife pipe 1
A fife is a musical instrument that looks like a very small flute. Fifes are usually made of wood, rather than metal, and are common in military marching bands. A fife is much more high-pitched than a flute—it's also louder and more shrill sounding. It was a popular instrument in some of the folk music in medieval Europe, and especially during the Colonial period in America, when it was played more than violins or pianos. Because it's so portable and relatively loud for its size, the fife became widely used in military and marching bands starting during the Renaissance period.
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In February 2026 another 400 jobs were put at risk when production ended at ExxonMobil's Mossmorran chemical works in Fife, too.
From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026
A hedgehog that spent at least four days stuck in a rusty underground drain pipe in Fife has been rescued with the help of some cooking oil and a large pair of pliers.
From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026
Scotland currently hosts the UK's only large-scale trial of using hydrogen for domestic heating - the H100 project in Fife where 300 homes have been offered hydrogen boilers, supplied by a bespoke gas network.
From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026
Born in 1951, in Dunfermline, Fife, Allan became interested in snorkelling and diving after watching Jacques Cousteau's film, The Silent World, a 1956 documentary which was one of the first to use underwater filming.
From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026
His real name is King Bartholomew Archibald Reginald Fife, a fine, kingly name—a name with a great destiny, of course.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
